The Pokémon Tournament!
by Dwarf Midget
Summary: Skylark lives in Slateport City, and he's not a normal kid. Kids often make fun of him because he's different. In Slateport, you earn respect and popularity by winning tournaments. He has no Pokémon of his own, and his rival often boasts of their Pokémon's strength. But one day, Skylark stumbles upon something that will flip his life upside-down...R&R! **Updated every Wednesday!**
1. Chapter 1

**The Pokémon Tournament!**

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

This story begins with Skylark Declan, a 14 year-old freshmen at the Pokémon Academy in Slateport City. He is a slim kid of about 5'8", and he had dark black hair. He usually wore jeans and a black hoodie he received from his late father. He had very white and clean tennis shoes, mainly because he barely did anything besides go to school in them. To most kids, all they knew about him was just his physical appearance.

He lived at home with his single-mother. About two years ago their dad died during a Team Rocket raid. They broke into the house, and when his dad tried to defend he was hit with a Weedle's poison dart in the neck and died. Since then, it was only the mom and Skylark living together.

Most kids tease him at school. They thought he was Goth, depressed, suicidal, all these horrible things. They called him names too. But in reality, it was because he was different. He had no Pokémon of his own; even the kids in the Junior Pokémon Academy had a Pokémon. In fact, most of them had two or three of their own that they caught; he had nothing.

At school, half of the day is spent in the gym. He arrives at 9 in the morning and stays until about 2. The first 3 hours of the day are spent watching other trainers and their Pokémon work out or battle each other to see who is the strongest. Then, they break for lunch. At 12:30 everyone goes to a Pokémon class, where they learn about the history of Pokémon and how to train them and a health class. They met every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Tuesday and Thursday were optional days to go train and practice in the gym. He excelled in the actual class, but in the gym he would fail. Having nothing to train, he would sit there and dream of having his own Pokémon.

He lived in the Hoenn region of the world, one of the most popular regions too. It was home of the third known generation of Pokémon, as well as the first two generations discovered. With this many Pokémon, it was easy for someone to go out and get their own Pokémon. But for Skylark it was difficult. He was a weak boy, and he was often frightened by them. He tried to capture a Spearow for himself once, but it broke the Pokéball and ran away.

Now, it was about halfway through the first semester now, roughly mid-October. He was sitting in the gym, watching two trainers going at it. "Caterpie! Use Stringshot!" One of them shouted. Caterpie nodded and shot out multiple feet of string, hitting the enemy's Elekid.

"Elekid! Use Tackle!" Elekid attempted to move, but only fell forward onto the ground. It struggled for about a minute before Caterpie strung into action.

"Caterpie! Tackle the Elekid!" Caterpie lunged forward and straight into the body of the Elekid. Elekid's face strained as he took the force of the tackle.

"Elekid, get back up and shake off the string!" Elekid stood up and created a small electrical shock, burning off some of the string.

"Don't give him the chance! Caterpie, tackle him!" Caterpie obeyed and tackled straight into Elekid's back. Elekid fell forward in pain, nearly fainted. However, the electrical charge paralyzed Caterpie for a minute.

"Take this to your advantage! Tackle him with all you got Elekid!" Elekid burned off the last of the string and ran to the Caterpie, who watched in horror as he was tackled by the electrical body of Elekid. Caterpie shrieked in pain as it was thrown feet away and then fainted.

"No! Caterpie! We were so close!" The trainer shrieked as they ran out to grab their fallen Pokémon. And they were right; Elekid had only 4 HP left. Another tackle would have done him in.

"Alright guys, call back your Pokémon. Good job everyone, it was a close game. Now, I want to remind you that we have a practice tournament tonight, and I expect to see all of you there!" The Gym Coach announced. Everyone nodded acknowledging his announcement, and then packed up to move onto lunch. As Skylark packed, his life-long rival moved forward.

"Well, Declan, what did you think today?" She mocked him. Her name was Celia Robin. She was about the same height as Skylark, and was just about as slim. She had long brown hair that came down to the middle of her back, and on her head she had a beanie cap with the exact colors of a regular Pokéball. She had a pair of jeans and snug boots, and she had a pink Jacket on almost all the time. The shirt under her jacket was black, just about as black as Skylark's hair. "Didn't me and Cyndaquil do well today?" She boasted about her Pokémon as she normally did. Cyndaquil ran up beside her, its fire on its back shining brightly.

"Yes." Skylark swiftly replied, continuing his packing up.

"Are you going to compete tonight in the practice tournament? Oh wait, that's right! You don't have a po-"

"I get it Celia. I don't have a Pokémon. But I'll be coming tonight, I suppose." And with that, Skylark stood up and took his backpack and walked out. Celia picked up Cyndaquil and walked the opposite way.

Skylark sat outside and ate his lunch alone. His mom made him a roast beef sandwich with salami, lettuce, onions and pickles. He also had a soft-drink and a bag of chips. He took his sandwich and began to gobble down on it. "_Just wait. When I get a Pokémon, I'll school all of you. I'll be able to win all the tournaments. Heck, when I win all the tournaments I'll leave and set out for the Pokémon League." _Skylark thought to himself. "_I'll march down to the Kanto region and beat everyone there, then I'll go to the Johto and beat all the gyms and the league there! Then I'll come back home and beat all the gyms and the league! And…and then…heck, I'll go to the Sinnoh region too! Even Unova!"_

Skylark happily devoured his sandwich as he planned out his ultimate goal. No longer would he be weak and defenseless, and no longer would his rival Celia gloat about her Cyndaquil. He would become the most powerful trainer in the world!

But sadly, reality striked him down. "_That's right…I need a Pokémon first. And then I need to actually compete and win in tournaments."_ He began to grow more and more upset, realizing the near impossibility of his dream. He looked at his PokéDex given to him by the professor in town and then realized that he only had five minutes of lunch left. He quickly ate his remaining food, grabbed his backpack and ran back to class. "_I'll get one someday…"_

**_Later that night…_**

"Amazing! Just look at the speed and accuracy of this Cyndaquil!" The announcer roared. Half of the school was there, along with some of the Junior Pokémon Academy spectators and students. "The Cyndaquil used her smoke screen perfectly and delivered a near fatal blow to her opponent!"

"Uh…uh…" The other trainer mumbled to himself. "_Dang it…my Eevee was no match for her Cyndaquil!"_ The trainer thought to himself. "Eevee! Counter-attack with a tackle of your own!" The trainer's Eevee nodded and ran out to meet Cyndaquil. Skylark was looking on with his PokéDex, and was reading the stats of each Pokémon. Eevee had about 8 HP left; Cyndaquil had about 19 HP.

Eevee ran into the smokescreen, unaware of the surroundings. From almost nowhere Cyndaquil leaped from some smoke and tackled Eevee in the side. Eevee was thrown out from the smoke and on the ground. "Ee-Eevee!" The trainer shouted. He began to run out onto the gym floor but was stopped by the Gym Teacher.

"Don't run out on the field! Eevee still has 2 HP left!" The Gym Teacher shouted. The trainer held himself back and watched as his Pokémon slowly stood up and turned to Cyndaquil, now uncovered by the smoke screen.

"Eevee! Tackle Cyndaquil!" The trainer shouted as Eevee ran forward, picking up speed.

"Dodge, Cyndaquil!" Celia ordered. Cyndaquil obeyed and jumped out of the way, and Eevee tackled the ground. The recoil of the tackle took out Eevee, and it fainted.

"Eevee!" The trainer shouted as he ran out onto the court. He cradled Eevee in his arms and then put it back in its Pokéball.

"The winner is none other than Celia Robin!" The Gym Teacher announced. The audience roared with cheer and applause. Skylark could overhear some of the comments from the audience members.

"I hear she's got the potential of a pro." One man said.

"I heard that she's going to the Pro Beginner Championship near the end of next summer in Pallet Town, in the Kanto League."

"It'd make sense, she's been undefeated for months now." This angered Skylark. Finally, he decided to leave. He had had it with the championship and the endless praise of Celia. It didn't help any that he had a crush on her. Torn by jealousy, envy, anger and infatuation, he hopped from the stands and ran outside.

Out there, he walked the long way home. He lived about ten minutes away walking, but he knew a long way that took about an hour. He could think about his life and relieve his anger. He was familiar with the road, for he had walked it a hundred times before. As he walked, he talked to himself. "_Dang it Skylark. She's just a girl. Who happens to be your rival. And your crush. But mainly rival." _He shook his head. "_Why does it have to happen like this? Why does she have to be so pretty? Why can't I find a single Pokémon? This is just outrageous! The junior kids have like all these awesome Pokémon and I can't even find a freaking Zubat. Those things are EVERYWHERE. You know what? Some of the juniors have girlfriends too!_"

He looked downcast as he scuffled down the seemingly endless dark road. "I think I may be sick tomorrow." He said aloud. "Not like anyone will miss me anyway." Finally, he was about halfway down the road when he heard a weird rustle in the bushes. He looked over and saw the shady shrubs shaking wildly. "Hey, who's there?" No response. "Hey, come on, who's there?" Again, no response. "Come on! Jack, is this you again? You did this last week." Still, the bushes continued to rustle.

"Bul…bulba…" A weak sound came out from behind the bushes. Skylark stared with eagle-like eyes as a small Bulbasaur wandered out from the dark bushes. "Bulbasa….bul…" It huffed out. It had several bruises and on its left leg it had a nasty burn. "Bulbasaur…" It huffed at as it stumbled to the ground. Skylark thought at first that it had fainted, but soon realized its breathing was heavy.

"Oh my God, it's almost dead!" Skylark shouted. He ran over to the Bulbasaur and picked it up. It weighed about 15 pounds, a little heavy for Skylark. But he ignored his heaviness and began to hug it close to him. He looked around, and then started to run back the way he came. "_The Pokémon center should be back near the academy. If I run I could make it there within 15 minutes." _Skylark thought to himself. "Don't you worry, little guy. I'll get you there safely." Skylark reassured the newfound Bulbasaur. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Skylark and…Bulbasaur?

Skylark panted heavily as he ran, hugging the Pokémon close to him. "_Who hurt it this way? Why would they do this to such an innocent looking Pokémon?" _Skylark thought to himself. He continued running, trying to ignore his body's cry for a break. As he ran, he could finally see the lights of the Pokémon center in the distance. "YES!" He cried.

After another minute, he was finally at the doors of the Pokémon center. The automated doors moved open as Skylark entered the giant center. A nurse in a light pink outfit with red hair stood behind the counter, playing on her computer. Skylark's footsteps echoed through the center as she looked up. "Hello, and welcome to th- wait a second, what do you have in your hands?"

"It's a Bulbasaur, and he's heavily wounded! Please! Help him!" He gasped for breath as he handed the Bulbasaur over to the nurse, now standing up. She nodded and ran through a door in the back. Skylark could hear her shouts echoing from the back, her shrieks of commands to the other nurses and helper Pokémon. But she was soon drowned out by the sound of Skylark's thoughts.

"_I hope it is okay…I'll stay to make sure it is, and then I'll make my way home."_ Skylark took some deep breaths, regaining his energy and oxygen he lost during the run. After about ten minutes of worry filled waiting, the nurse came out.

"Are you the owner of the Bulbasaur?" She asked politely, a pleasant tone in her voice.

"No, I found it in the woods. It came out and then fainted in front of me." Skylark answered back.

"Oh, I see. Well, in any case, she's doing very well." The nurse eased Skylark's worry.

"That's good." Skylark stood up and started toward the door.

"Whoa, where are you going young man?" She shouted toward Skylark.

"The Bulbasaur isn't mine nor do I want it. Plus, I got school tomorrow." And with that, Skylark wandered out of the building and back onto his dirt path. Now that the Pokémon was safe, he could go home and be at ease with that.

The next day, he woke up in his bedroom, the blinds still closed preventing any form of light from entering the room. He wandered over to his bathroom and undressed. He hopped into the shower and slowly woke up from his half-asleep state before he started to actually wash himself. Afterwards, he got out, brushed his teeth and got dressed in his normal attire.

He made his way downstairs and then hugged his mom goodbye. "Be careful!" She shouted cautiously, as she did every day.

"Yes mom!" Skylark shouted back. He wandered outside but was stopped by the Bulbasaur sitting on their porch. Skylark stared at it for a moment, and then tried to sneak around it. It was sleeping, almost like a baby, but then woke up suddenly.

"Bulba!" It shouted out. Skylark nearly tripped over it due to his shock.

"What are you doing here? I thought I left you at the Pokémon center! " Skylark shouted. Bulbasaur looked at Skylark, unwavering in stance. "What do you want from me?" Still, it continued looking on. "Fine. Just stay here then." Skylark made his way off the porch and down the short path to school. After a minute, he started to hear more footsteps behind him. He turned to find Bulbasaur following him.

"Look, Bulbasaur, I'm not your master! Go back to your original owner!" He shouted. Bulbasaur stared at him, confused. "I only saved you once. I don't want you!" He yelled once more. Again, the Bulbasaur only stared and continued to follow him. Finally, Skylark gave up. "Fine, you know what? You can hang out with me."

"Bulbasa!" It shouted happily. Skylark frowned and continued to move onward toward the academy. At 8:50, Skylark and his Bulbasaur arrived at the gym and took their normal seats. This time, however, everyone stared at them.

"Whoa, he got a Bulbasaur?"

"Does he know how rare those things are?"

"Where would some dude like him find it?"

"Whether it's a rare Pokémon or not, I bet it's as weak as him." Finally, the bell rang and the gym training began. One trainer and his Machop immediately hit the weights, while another trainer and there Pichu went outside to run the track. Skylark just sat there, as usual, and did nothing except contemplate what to do with the Bulbasaur.

"Declan, whatcha got there?" The gym instructor, who had wandered up to Skylark unknowingly, asked.

"Oh, this is some Bulbasaur I found on this dirt road last night. It was wounded, so I took it to the Pokémon center and I guess it followed me home somehow." Skylark explained.

"You gonna keep it?" He asked.

"I have no idea. It doesn't seem to have any owner, so I guess for the time being it is mine."

"Great! Let's start training." The instructor pulled Skylark from where he sat and out onto the gym floor.

"Whoa, hey! I don't want to practice with it! It's just some weak Bulbasaur!" Skylark protested.

"Oh well. Rattata, go!" And just like that, Skylark and the gym instructor commenced in a battle. "Feel free to make the first move, Declan."

"Well…what can it do?" Skylark asked to himself. Bulbasaur had already positioned himself in front of Skylark, ready for battle. Skylark took out his PokéDex and examined the Bulbasaur. "So, it's a level three with 27 HP and it only knows Tackle and Growl." He flipped the PokéDex shut and then turned his attention back to the gym floor. Before they started, someone had already alerted everyone else that Skylark was actually going to fight with his Pokémon.

"Don't worry, this Rattata holds an item that prevents it from leveling up. It's still a level 3, just how I caught it, and it only has about 23 HP." The instructor said.

"Well…Bulbasaur, use Tackle!" Skylark shouted unenthusiastically. Bulbasaur obeyed and ran toward the Rattata. Rattata took a blow from the Tackle, and surprisingly took it hard. It dropped about 9 HP!

"Goodness Declan, your Bulbasaur is stronger than I expected." The instructor commented. "However, it's my job to challenge you. So, Rattata, counter-attack with a tackle!" Rattata moved in to deliver a hard tackle, but Skylark yelled just in time for Bulbasaur to dodge. Bulbasaur did so and easily dodged the Rattata's attack.

"Now, Bulbasaur, Tackle him!" Again Bulbasaur ran forward and tackled the small Rattata and sent it flying a few feet. Rattata was now at 10 HP.

"Whoa, his Bulbasaur is beating down upon the instructor's Rattata." Someone commented.

"Barely anyone beats the instructor on the first try."

"It took me two tries before I could finally beat the instructor, and Skylark's almost done with it without a single HP lost." At last, it finally hit Skylark. This was his chance to prove himself amongst all of his enemies. It was his chance to start his journey. A fire burned inside him like no other. He had the fire of a true Pokémon trainer. Fate had looked upon him and had given him the gift of a Bulbasaur. And now, he was about to prove himself great!

As the sudden epiphany distracted Skylark, he failed to notice that the instructor had Rattata deliver a harsh tackle into Bulbasaur. His HP dropped nearly 10 points, and he was now at 18 HP. "Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted, suddenly filled with concern for his Pokémon. "Are you okay?"

"Bulba!" It shouted with pride.

"Glad to hear it!" Skylark commented. "Let's finish this battle! Tackle the Rattata!" At the sound of the command Bulbasaur sprinted off and attempted to tackle the Rattata. However, it jumped out of the way in time and delivered a quick but weak tackle into Bulbasaur's side. Bulbasaur then dropped another four HP, and was now at 14.

"Rattata! Tackle again!" The instructor yelled.

"Dodge and then tackle Rattata!" Skylark shouted. The events played out into Skylark's favor, and Bulbasaur gave Rattata a fatal tackle. Rattata was now down to 2 HP, and it only needed one more hit to faint.

"Rattata! Tackle once more!" The instructor shouted.

"Bulbasaur! Listen well! Tackle him head on!" Skylark commanded. Bulbasaur, without hesitation, started to run toward the already in motion Rattata.

"Is he crazy!? They're both going to get hurt!" One girl shouted from the audience. Skylark hadn't been paying attention, but nearly everyone in the gym had gathered to watch Skylark fight, even Celia.

"_Crap, Skylark's going to hurt his first Pokémon being stupid." _The instructor thought. "Rattata! Stop tackling!" The Rattata obeyed. "Good, now it won't hurt both of the Pok-"

"Keep tackling Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted. Bulbasaur delivered the hardest tackle of the whole battle into Rattata, causing Rattata to faint. Rattata now lay on the ground, not moving, passed out. For the first time in the past two years, someone had beaten the instructor on their first try. Before Skylark celebrated, his PokéDex dinged. He flipped it open to find that Bulbasaur had grown a level! He was now a level four Pokémon.

The audience was deathly silent, shocked at what they had just witnessed. "He…he won the battle?" Someone whispered. One of the members started to clap, and slowly everyone else joined in a small round of applause. Skylark smiled, and turned his attention to his Bulbasaur. His dream had just begun, and his face beamed with excitement.

Later that day, after the gym session and Bulbasaur being healed at the Pokémon center, Skylark ate his usual lunch outside, alone, but this time with Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was out in the grass, rolling around happily and munching on the grass. "I guess I need to buy you food don't I?" Skylark laughed to himself. "I can't believe it. I actually have a chance to do everything I want to now…all because of this little Bulbasaur." Skylark continued to munch down on his own food when suddenly Celia showed up.

"So, Declan, you actually got yourself a Pokémon?" She said to him. He looked up, shocked, and then out at Bulbasaur. Her Cyndaquil was in its Pokéball, and she had already finished her lunch. "Got a name for your Pokémon? Or even a Pokéball for it to stay in?" Skylark shook his head. "You don't know a single thing about raising a Pokémon, do you?"

"Nope…" Skylark said silently. "But it can sure fight!"

"It? You don't even know the gender?"

"Well, I think it's a she…"

"Whatever Declan. Listen, I don't know where you found it or why you were able to defeat the instructor on your first try, but don't you dare think you could beat me and Cyndaquil, got it?"

"Hey," He stood up. "One day we will be able to take you on and beat you. Not only that, we'll win a thousand tournaments ourselves!"

"Oh you think so? Well, I've been the tournament champion for about a year now for this school, don't you dare think you can change that!"

"We'll just see about that!" Skylark shouted. She smiled a really friendly but aggressive smile, and then walked away.

"Yeah, I guess we will see then." She shouted back at him. He smiled awkwardly, and then frowned.

"I could beat you easily…I mean, it'd help if I didn't like you or anything but oh well!" He nearly shouted. He grabbed his mouth, and then noticed she kept walking, either ignoring the comment or she didn't even hear it. "I will beat you one day!" Skylark shouted at her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Rising to the Challenge

Skylark huffed out as he ran around the block. Bulbasaur followed slowly behind as he yawned. The sun had just dawned, and the day had started. It had been about a month since Skylark found Bulbasaur, and since Bulbasaur's first win Skylark has been training him intensely. Just like now, Skylark was running in a t-shirt and some gym shorts and his shoes, which were now growing somewhat dirty. Bulbasaur didn't even seem to mind the training. She was happy enough to have Skylark.

"All…right…Bulba…saur…" Skylark gasped for air as he slowed down his running. "That's the first mile. Ready for the return?"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur barked out. Skylark was partially amazed at Bulbasaur's endurance. She wasn't even panting.

"_Must be being made of a plant and plant cells creating oxygen from carbon dioxide…so she doesn't have to breathe as much." _Skylark thought to himself. "_And because of that, she can breathe and hold her breath and never have to breathe again, because it'll just keep on converting to oxygen for her cells. Dang, Science class did pay off." _He softly chuckled but then ran on ahead.

Bulbasaur followed behind him as she normally did. Over the past month, through all the exercising, Bulbasaur had advanced in levels, and Skylark himself grew stronger. He started to build up a mass. Instead of a skinny little twig of a person, he was actually growing larger with muscles. But they weren't very noticeable when he wore his hoodie and jeans.

In fact, things were going very well for Skylark for the first time. He no longer went straight home and to sleep. He quit his long walks to nowhere. He actually had something to do, something to motivate him. Bulbasaur and him had grown closer than Skylark had with anyone else. He was finally dawning on happiness.

On the walk home, however, they were intruded. A Junior Pokémon Academy student wandered out from the bushes, a Pokéball in his hands. Skylark waved at him as he kept running, but soon realized something was up with this student. "Are you Skylark? With that Bulbasaur?"

Skylark slowed down and caught his breath. "Yeah, who are you?"

"I'm Tony." He replied. "I'm going to beat you." Skylark chuckled to himself, but soon realized the serious look ridden on Tony's face.

"Why?"

"People are saying that my Pokémon is too weak. But now, I'm going to show them how strong we are!" And before Skylark could even accept or decline it, Tony raised his Pokéball in the air. "Growlithe! Go!" From the Pokéball a canine Pokémon flew out and took its prideful stance.

"Growli!" It roared.

"Bulbasaur, let's finish this quickly. Go hit him with one of your Tackles!" Bulbasaur nodded and proceeded out to the new enemy. As Bulbasaur ran, it started to notice something at the mouth of the Growlithe forming.

"Growlithe, hit Bulbasaur with an Ember!" At the sound of the command, Growlithe shot out hundreds upon hundreds of large fire embers, all heading directly toward Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's face grew grim, and Skylark gasped. Bulbasaur stopped, and the embers hit her directly in the side. Bulbasaur rolled over a few times, and then slowly stood up. Her HP had dropped down by half just from that one attack.

"Bulbasaur!..." Skylark thought for a minute. "Let's try to Tackle again!" Bulbasaur was hesitant, but agreed to it. She began to run again, and again Growlithe started charging up.

"Growlithe, let's knock it out with another Ember!" Bulbasaur grew worried again, but Skylark had a plan going on in his head. Quickly thinking, Skylark remembered back to his class at the academy.

"Remember," his teacher stated, "if you have a grass type Pokémon running toward a weak fire attack, do not command the Pokémon to stop. If it stops, the full effect of the fire attack will hit it and do its full damage. But, if the Pokémon continues to run and hit the fire attack head on, it will barely do any major damage. Sure, it will harm the Pokémon some, but because it's running into the fire it will come out of the fire quicker and make its attack. If it just stops, the fire will hit it and the Pokémon will suffer the ongoing fire."

Using this tactic, Skylark had Bulbasaur continue running. "Growlithe! Ember!" The Growlithe barked and shot out another Ember, equally as powerful. Bulbasaur began to slow down, but Skylark shouted out to it.

"Just keep running Bulbasaur! It'll hurt less!" Bulbasaur, seeing an opportunity to not be hurt, kept running. The embers smashed into Bulbasaur, but as soon as they hit they left her and burned out. Bulbasaur's speed was enough to completely jump through the oncoming fire unharmed. Tony's face grew stunned at the Bulbasaur who had managed to completely surpass Growlithe's strongest attack. "Let's hit it with a Tackle!"

Bulbasaur smashed into the face of Growlithe, delivering a critical hit. Growlithe's HP dropped nearly 75%, and it flinched. "Quickly, another Tackle!" Bulbasaur ran backwards for a minute, and then ran forward once more. Growlithe began to whimper as Bulbasaur smashed into its side, draining it of the rest of its HP.

"You're…you…you are…kidding." Tony's face grew red and he was angry. "How did my fire Pokémon lose to such a weak grass type!" He raised the Pokéball and called back Growlithe. He soon started to break down, and he broke into tears. "Why do I lose so much? Fire Pokémon are supposed to be the strongest!"

Skylark felt bad for him. He realized that they were in the same place. They were deemed the weakest and out-casted from people. Now that Skylark had started had started rising in popularity, Tony was hoping to do the same and beat Skylark. But sadly that just wasn't good enough. "How often do you train?"

"Train?"

"Yeah, like right now I'm training my Bulbasaur. We were out on a run until you came out." Tony looked confused.

"How do you train Pokémon?" And with that question, Skylark explained to him how to train Pokémon, the importance of it, and how to get stronger. Tony cheered up, and stared at his Pokéball. "So, I just need to train Growlithe, and he'll grow stronger?"

"That's exactly it! And who knows, maybe next time we meet you'll be able to beat me!" Tony and Skylark laughed, but soon Skylark realized that Bulbasaur had major burns on her side. "I have to go now, but remember to train daily!" Skylark picked up Bulbasaur and started to run down the road to a Pokémon center. Tony had changed inside. He was glad he tried to assault Skylark. Because of him, he learned how to train his Pokémon correctly.

"I'll grow stronger next time and beat you!" Tony yelled after him.

**_At the center…_**

Skylark was sitting in the waiting area, obviously waiting for Bulbasaur to come out from treatment. While he was waiting, he stared over at an announcement board and soon realized a flier sitting on it. He walked over and read the paper. "Beginning to train your Pokémon and want to show how well its training has come out? This Saturday night, the Pokémon Academy is hosting the Beginner Pokémon Tournament! Bring your Pokémon, sign up and immediately play. The winner wins free admission into the next tournament, plus 5000 Pokédollars (Must be a new trainer; if you have already done a Beginner Tournament, come and support the players, but you cannot play)! Hope to see you all there!"

Skylark read it over multiple times, and then smiled widely. "I know what I'm doing Saturday night."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The First Tournament!

"Alright guys, here's the deal. For the tournament, it will be three groups of two people, and then there will be three winners. Two winners will go at it, and the winner of that will go against the third winner. When you're done, the winner of that will be the tournament winner. Understand?" The instructor explained.

Skylark and Bulbasaur were the first up to battle. Bulbasaur had been training rigorously, and had strengthened her tackle and growl. She was in the process of learning a new move, called Leech Seed, but so far it had been a difficult task and she hadn't mastered it. No matter, Skylark felt confident in his Pokémon.

"Skylark, choose your Pokémon!" The instructor shouted.

"Bulbasaur!"

"As expected. John, choose your Pokémon!" The instructor yelled out the other opponent.

"I choose Geodude!" John shouted back. He raised his Pokéball and out from the ball sprung forward Geodude. It flexed its muscles and attempted to taunt Bulbasaur, who obviously wasn't paying any attention to it. Finally, it stopped and prepared for battle.

"Ready…set…go! Skylark's move first!"

"Bulbasaur, hit it with a Tackle!" Bulbasaur nodded happily and ran forward to the Geodude.

"Geo, block it with a Defense Curl!" Suddenly, Geodude raised its arms and a weird green color flowed through its body, making it harder. Bulbasaur tackled with her entire body, yet it barely damaged the Geodude. Its HP dropped only 3 points, and it didn't even move from where it floated. Skylark stood there, confused as to what to do.

"Hit it with another Tackle!" Again, Bulbasaur tackled, but it only dropped 2 HP. It remained still strong at 40 HP.

"Geo, let's use a Rock Polish!" Suddenly, almost like five different cleaning squeegees came over Geodude, and he became very light and shiny. Skylark stared wonderingly at this Pokémon's move, but soon realized its horror. "Now Tackle!"

Almost like it weighed a feather, the giant rock flew straight into Bulbasaur's side with a quick speed. "Bulb-" Bulbasaur began to shout as she was thrown backwards. She lost, from that attack alone, 12 HP.

"_What a great speed and tackle this Geodude has…"_ Skylark thought to himself. Then, it hit him. In his class he had been studying about the strength and weaknesses of Pokémon. Rock, Water, and Ground type Pokémon are especially weak to Grass type powers. But, Bulbasaur barely knows any grass type attacks. "Ugh…" Skylark grunted. The onlookers in the crowd stared at him, confused at his thinking. "Let's hit it with another Tackle!"

Bulbasaur rammed into Geodude's side, and it delivered a rather powerful hit, probably a critical hit. It dropped Geodude 14 HP points, down to 26 HP. Now, Bulbasaur and Geodude were equal in HP. "Geo, hit him with another one of your speed Tackles!" Geodude roared and began to ram into Bulbasaur, but Skylark intruded.

"Bulbasaur, let's try Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur gasped loudly, almost questioning her master's command. She shrugged it off and stared at the Geodude, intimidatingly. Quickly, she attempted to shoot out seeds from her bulb. They flew into the air, and it flew everywhere, but she was quickly tackled by Geodude. She lost another 8 HP that time, but managed to stand up quickly after the hit.

"Geodude, he already went, let's try another tackle!" Geodude roared in agreement as he went to slam into its enemy. Unexpectedly, though, Geodude stopped and stood still. "Geodude, what are you doing? Tackle!" Geodude suddenly fell to the ground, and its eyes were wide with pain. Leech Seed had kicked in, and Geodude was hit hard with the powerful grass attack. Geodude lost nearly 18 HP, a drastic drain. And Bulbasaur gained back all of that.

Bulbasaur now stood tall and healthy, ready to attack. "Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted. "Finish him off with a tackle!" Bulbasaur rammed into the Geodude, but it didn't finish him off completely. It only knocked down about five more HP.

"GEO!" Geodude shouted in rebellion. He rammed into the Bulbasaur, causing a critical hit. She lost 18 HP, leaving her with 10 HP. Geodude shouted, but in a flash fell down fainted. Leech Seed took its toll on Geodude, and he collapsed.

"Geodude!" John ran out onto the court and picked up his Pokémon, and then ran off the court ashamed.

"Skylark is the winner of the battle!" The instructor announced. The audience roared in praise of how Skylark won against John. "Now, the other two winners of the match must duel it out; Skylark will be sitting out for this round." Skylark nodded, told Bulbasaur to follow him and went back to a resting area, and Bulbasaur was healed by a healing machine.

**_After the other two battle, a winner emerges…_**

"Skylark, come face your opponent!" Skylark walked out from his waiting area, Bulbasaur by his side, and met a teenage girl with a Zigzagoon.

"Ah, so you're Skylark! I've been waiting to fight against you!" She said. "My friends always joked about how weak you were," Skylark flinched at the comment. "But I was shocked to hear that such a weak boy now was so strong with a new Pokémon." Skylark's rage was high and he wanted to say something, but he was smart enough to realize that the girl was trying to lure him in and get his emotions high, only to make his decision making poor.

"It's true. Bulbasaur made me stronger." Skylark said. "And he's stronger than that Zigzagoon of yours."

"Psh, no one is better than Zigzy!" She lifted Zigzagoon and hugged it tightly. "And I'll show you. Zigzagoon, let's go and beat this wimp!"

**Sorry for the delayed chapter. Been extremely sick and tired. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Winner

"Tackle!" Skylark and his opponent shouted in unison. Immediately they were off, both running toward each other. Both Pokémon flinched before contact, and moved out of each other's way. But, it wasn't enough, and they both tackled each other in the side. Bulbasaur's right arm was hit badly, and Zigzagoon's right side was smacked hard.

"Tail Whip, Zigazagoon!"

"Dodge!" They obeyed their masters, performing their moves. This carried on for a while, with many tackles and tail whips being thrown at one another. It finally came down to the end. Both were left with 5 HP. They were breathing heavily, out of energy and near fainting.

"Tackle!" They ran toward each other, Bulbasaur limping and Zigzagoon going slowly. Finally they hit…both resulting in a fatal hit. They fainted, leaving no winner. "What?" The other girl shrieked.

"Well, I don't believe it! I'm never seen this before!" The announcer announced. The crowd roared loudly at the odd sighting of a Pokémon duel. "Our refs will review the video of the duel, and we will return later.

**_Later…_**

Skylark and Bulbasaur, now healed, sat together in the player stands. Next to them was that girl with the Zigzagoon. She was obviously very upset that Skylark hurt her Pokémon, and she refused to talk. "Alright, guys. Here's a replay of the video!" The announcer said loudly, and from the ceiling a giant TV slowly descended. On it, it showed the video of the duel.

"Here is what happened, pay attention to the screen. You see, both Bulbasaur and Zigazagoon hit at the same time. But, right before they went down, Bulbasaur forced herself not to faint, and after Zigzagoon had gone down Bulbasaur gave in and collapsed. So, technically, Bulbasaur fainted last. Bulbasaur and her trainer Skylark are the winners of this tournament!"

The crowd roared with applause and laughter as Skylark walked out onto the floor, Bulbasaur following behind, and he took a trophy and the cash reward. "See, Bulbasaur, we're going to win all the tournaments we can!"

**Sorry for the short/bad chapter, couldn't find the motivation to really keep writing. Next chapter will probably be better.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Kanto Tournament?

After Skylark's stunning win, he and Bulbasaur went home. They received the 5,000 Pokédollars and a slip, admitting them to the next local championship. Skylark, after showering and getting ready for bed, sat down on his bed with Bulbasaur and flipped on his TV. On the news they were doing a special on Celia and her Cyndaquil. Even though she was his rival, he still couldn't resist watching a show praising her.

"So Celia, what's it like being the top tournament trainer in Slateport?" The announcer asked.

"Well, it's a complete honor to be where I am. Cyndaquil and I worked hard to get to this level, and I'm glad we achieved it." She replied, Cyndaquil on her lap being pet by her.

"What do you think about any upcoming competitors? Skylark Declan, as I believe you know, has made a huge spike in popularity with his Pokémon, and news just came in that he won his first tournament." Celia shifted uncomfortably in her seat before answering.

"Skylark has a, uh…Bulbasaur, correct? If so, that's not any worry for me. Cyndaquil is a strong fire type, and his Bulbasaur is nothing but a weak wild pokemon he found in the woods." The announcer was shocked at this sort of taunt coming from Celia.

"Well, next summer the Kanto Region they are hosting the worldwide amateur tournament for all beginner trainers, like you. Do you think anyone will end up coming along with you, or is this a solo journey?" The announcer asked.

"Oh please, this will be a solo journey. Next May is the tournament that decides who goes, and usually only one winner will win. And, unless Skylark or anyone else can get a year's worth of training packed into a few months, I have this in the bag." Skylark, now feeling enraged, picked up on her taunt.

"I see! Well, for our younger viewers who don't know, can you explain the Kanto Region Tournament?"

"Well sure. The Kanto Region Tournament is held annually and world-wide, open to all beginning trainers. It's held in late August, at the end of summer. This tournament usually lasts an entire week, and includes hundreds of trainers battling it out aiming for first place. Only one will come out as winner, and the winner gets amazing prizes. This year will be my first year competing!"

"I'm positive you'll do an amazing job! Well folks, that's all for this interview, but stay tuned for a replay of the tournament that just went on tonight!" The interview ended right then and there, and immediately a battle field was shown, starting off with Skylark's Bulbasaur fighting the Geodude. Skylark watched in amazement as he and his Bulbasaur worked together and totally whipped the whole tournament.

After half an hour, the entire tournament had played and it was now declaring the winner. Skylark's picture and name flashed across the screen, declaring him the winner. He smiled happily, looking down at Bulbasaur, who had fallen asleep at the foot of his bed. Flipping off the TV, he sleepily climbed under the covers and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning Skylark woke up earlier than usual, and instead of getting out of bed he just laid there and thought. "_So…the Kanto Region is holding the annual tournament."_ He started to think. "_If we could reach there, I'd reach my goal…that's it!"_ He nearly shouted it, but managed to contain it in his thoughts. "_If I win that tournament, people here will love me! Celia will finally acknowledge me! That's what I'll do!" _He hopped out of bed, awaking Bulbasaur, and ran into the bathroom. He changed into his training clothes, grabbed a few things to help train Bulbasaur, and then ran out, Bulbasaur following.

They ran out into an open field, already set up with a dummy that Skylark had made, and immediately they went off on training. "If we're going to make it to the top, Bulbasaur, we've got to train. Ready?"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur roared with pride. And with that, they hopped into their training, growing stronger day by day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Underground Tournaments

Over the next few months, Bulbasaur and Skylark grew stronger and more popular than anyone had ever believed. Week after week they entered into tournaments, winning each one and breaking records like no one's business. Skylark's dream was becoming a reality, and the once lonely Bulbasaur now had a caring owner.

As they grew more popular, Skylark began to gain a fan-base…surprisingly, tons of girls were wooed by his "magnificent trainer skills" and "charming techniques." He could barely go out in public anymore without being identified by someone. But with more fame grew more enemies…some rather dark.

One day, arriving home from the Pokémon Academy, Skylark was checking his mail. "Hm…tournament next Thursday, fan letters, sponsorship from the Pokémon Card Club, some bills…" While rummaging through the mail, he came across a mysterious letter. Inside the letter was several news clippings of Skylark's winnings and uprising fame, and it also contained a note. The note was made from newspaper letter clippings (like serial killers, ya know?) glued onto a folded piece of paper.

It read:

_We know who you are. Meet at Academy at 00:00._

_-O_

Skylark grew nervous, but rather curious. What could they possibly want from him? Going inside, he threw his backpack onto his bed, took a shower and went straight to his computer to waste time until that night. At dusk his mom had finished dinner, and after he ate he went upstairs to prepare for his midnight departure.

His mother normally went to bed at 9:30, leaving Skylark to do whatever he wanted too. She slept downstairs in another bedroom, so the downstairs door was an unlikely option for escape. Plotting it out, he strung his sheets together and emptied his backpack. He would put Bulbasaur in the backpack (unzipped, of course) and then he would slide down the side of his house. Whenever he made it back from his journey he would just climb back up, untie the sheets and head off to bed. If need be to get sleep he would fake being sick.

Once midnight arrived, he did exactly that. He slowly went down the side of his house, his sheets tied to the very sturdy built in heater in his room and then made his way down the road to the academy. As he walked, he could only think of a million possibilities as to what this may possibly be.

Arriving at the Academy, he checked his PokéDex. "Hm. 11:57. I won-"

"Hey, you." A voice whispered through the area. Skylark took his stance, and Bulbasaur hopped from the backpack, ready to fight. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you…" From the shadows of the Academy came out a teenager, roughly a year or two younger than Skylark, and he had a flashlight. "You see those bushes? Follow me." The kid went forward, advancing towards the bushes. Skylark, hesitant at first, decided it was best to follow him since he was only a kid.

Within five minutes they came across a small opening in the ground, about the width of three feet. Without hesitation the kid jumped down, and then motioned for Skylark. Skylark hopped in, and Bulbasaur came in after. Skylark caught Bulbasaur, and they all walked down a long corridor until the entered a large room. On two sides stood large stands, and in the middle was a battle ring. "This place was cleared out by our leader's earth type Pokémon Onix. He uses it as a place to bet on Pokémon and have trainers fight."

"Wait, bet on Pokémon? Isn't tha-"

"Yes, illegal, but it's all in good sport." Skylark suddenly grew tense, his mood rather anxious. "We saw how good you've gotten, and the boss himself wanted to fight you." Skylark's stomach dropped. The massive Onix…against his small Bulbasaur?

"You're joking. That's incredibly unfair!"

"Rule 1 of the Pokémon Underground: Games will be unfair." The boy answered as he left and fled into the massive crowd. Skylark looked around; at least a hundred people were in these stands, and they were all placing bets together.

"I bet 300 Pokédollars on Onix."

"Psh, that's weak. 750 on Onix, there's no way he'll lose."

"I don't know, that Bulbasaur of his has proven to be quite the competitor." They all murmured amongst themselves as plates were being passed around, one plate for Bulbasaur and the other for Onix.

Once the betting was done, they counted the totals. "12,430 was placed on the leader's Onix! 1,296 was placed on Bulbasaur!" Skylark was now upset with the crowd. They all doubted his skills. Regardless of that, Skylark had to get out of there soon and expose this devilish tournament. As he turned to flee, two men stood at the gate, each with a Weedle. The poison attacks of the Weedle would harm Bulbasaur greatly, so he couldn't flee. He had to win and get out of there safely in order to expose them.

"And now, introducing Skylark's opponent for the evening, Mr. Orovo!" From behind a stage on the opposite side of the room emerged a boy, roughly 16 years of age. He held in his hands a Great Ball, and as he came out he slowly walked up the stage and sat upon a throne made of earth. "The King of the Pokémon Underground!" The crowd roared wildly. What had Skylark gotten himself into?

Orovo spoke up. "Quiet down, everyone. Listen up, Skylark!" Skylark looked up, his palms sweaty. "I'm sure you understand the rules of a normal Pokémon tournament, correct?" Skylark nodded. "Well, forget that. Fight freely, and may the best winner win!" He threw out his Pokéball, exposing the great and ferocious Onix. Skylark was in for a long night…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Orovo vs. Skylark

"I'll let you take the first hit, my friend." Orovo commented.

"Bulbasaur, let's try to tackle him!" Bulbasaur didn't hesitate. She took off like a bullet, running straight toward the target. Hopping into the air, she hit Onix's second rock away from his head.

"Huyaaaaa!" Onix shouted. Obviously, it seemed that the tackle did some damage.

"Alright Onix, let's show him our powers. Use Rock Throw!" Orovo shouted in command. Immediately Onix raised his tail in the air and threw off the last few rocks on the end of the tail, and slowly another few rocks grew back. The rocks flew toward Bulbasaur, who helplessly dodged them until she was hit with a medium sized rock.

"Bulba!" She shrieked. But it didn't take her out of the battle. She stood up and shook off the hit, and took her next battle stance.

"Bulbasaur! Use your Leech Seed!" Springing into action, Bulbasaur shot off multiple seeds onto the ground around Onix. For some reason, Onix didn't move.

"Bahahahahaha!" Orovo laughed. "What move did that do? It looked like it didn't even harm my massive and powerful Onix!" He looked over to his Onix, who wasn't fazed by the attack. "Onix, let's show him the new move you learned from the TM we got yesterday. Use Iron Tail!" Skylark suddenly grew shaky, a new fear rushing over his body like water.

"Bulbasaur! You NEED to dodge that attack!" Bulbasaur followed the commands of her trainer and ran away, but soon the Onix loomed over her like a sky scraper. Raising its tail, it shouted with a great force as he smashed down onto Bulbasaur, who barely dodged. But, the way he swung his tail it still hit Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur shrieked in pain as she was thrown feet away from where she was hit. "Bulbasaur!"

"Bahahahahahahahahahaha, such a small little weakling." Orovo mocked Bulbasaur. That is, until he realized that Onix started to groan in pain. Finally, it let go a huge shriek that roared throughout the arena. "Onix! Why do you scream?"

Bulbasaur stood up from her spot, and lightly glowed green. "You see, you must not know much about types. Grass types do heavy damage on Rock types, and Leech Seed is a move that not only takes away from Onix's HP, but gives some of it back to Bulbasaur." Skylark explained. Orovo's face dropped as he realized that Onix's brute strength was not matched with the counter type of rock: grass.

"Bulbasaur, let's take care of this once and for all! Finish him with your new move…" Skylark paused. "Use Vinewhip!" From her back Bulbasaur shot out two long whips. They made their way to the heavily damaged Onix, whose HP was half gone already, and prepared for their attack. They swung back and let loose. The smack of the whips on the rock body rang throughout the arena, followed by the echoed cry of Onix. The Great and Mighty Underground Tournament Champion…is now defeated.

"Im…impossible." Orovo gasped. Onix now lay in front of him, groaning in pain as it fainted. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! THERE IS NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE BEATEN ME! YOU CHEATED!" Orovo took out his Pokéball and called back Onix. "That Onix was a level 11! Your Bulbasaur couldn't have been more than a level 10! You're cheating!"

"No…I just know how to play." Skylark said. He turned to leave, Bulbasaur soon following behind.

"Oh what running away now?" Orovo taunted.

"No, I'm getting out of here. I'm going to go to bed." Skylark responded. "_And also alert the police of this."_

"Aren't you going to take the money?" Someone in the crowd, as shocked as the others, shouted out.

"Nope. I don't need it." Skylark was almost at the exit before Orovo finally realized what was going to happen.

"He won't accept it because it's illegal money! He's going to turn us in!" Orovo took out a second Pokéball, throwing out a Raticate. "Stop him and the prize money is yours!" The crowd gasped in awe at the huge prize money and each one pulled out a Pokéball. Skylark turned around, picked up Bulbasaur and ran to the exit.

Once at the exit, they were hit with the fact they couldn't reach up to the surface. "Bulbasaur, Vinewhip." With ease Bulbasaur shot her vines to the surface, and they climbed their way out of the hole. "Alright, we don't have time to waste. They're coming for us." Skylark picked up Bulbasaur and took off in a sprint. "I gotta get to the police soon…"

**Sorry for the progressively smaller chapters. I got a lot going on, so yeah. Sorry**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Chase

Skylark sprinted and breathed heavily as he carried his best friend down the grassy path and out to what he hoped would soon be an exit. However, he had only managed to stumble into the woods even more, entangling him into this maze of trees. If he only had a map of some sort, he could be able to navigate his way to safety and escape these people. But that was obviously not the case, so Skylark had to think of something else.

Finally, he heard a noise of leaves ruffling. Bulbasaur leapt from his arms and onto the ground, prepared to fight. "Jigglypuff, tackle!" From the bushes shot forward a Jigglypuff, who ran toward Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur shot and whipped her with some of her vines, and Jigglypuff fell over. It appeared to be weak, possibly a level four or five. "Dude! That's my Jigglypuff!" A frantic trainer sprinted from the bushes, cradling the Pokémon in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to leave!" This time Bulbasaur just ran behind Skylark, who had begun to run again.

"Guys! Over here! He's over here!" The trainer shouted, attempting to blow Skylark's cover. Skylark's chest burned and his lungs stung. He needed to take a break. Finally, falling over onto a log, Skylark rested and breathed heavily, frantically thinking of an escape plan from this forest.

From the bushes shot out a trainer and his…Magikarp. Without even commanding Bulbasaur shot into action with a tackle, throwing it on the ground and rendering it useless and defenseless. Skylark stood up and ran again, finding out that his safety spot had been found out.

For the next three hours Bulbasaur and Skylark fought amongst the weakest of Pokémon in their attempt to escape the forest and return to the city. Finally, he neared the exit of the forest. Driven by exhaustion he ran toward the exit…or so he thought.

Skylark ran out into a large grassy arena with a pond in the middle, with a small stream pouring into it. If it was daytime it would have been a beautiful area, but instead it was just dark and disappointing to him. As he wandered forward he began to drink from the water, a voice shot through the night. "Haha, long time no see Skylark!"

From behind some trees Tony wandered forward. Following him was no longer the small Growlithe that he once used, but now it was an Arcanine, big and tall with a menacing look upon his face. "You see my Growlithe now? He's an Arcanine, level 12. I won the firestone to evolve him in the underground."

Skylark stared, but he could barely remember anything he ever did with Tony. Finally, it hit him. He was the boy he beat who vowed to come back and win. But was now really the time? "Tony, listen, you have to get me out of here, I have to get back home."

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave Skylark. We know you're going to tell the police and ruin our whole tournament."

"So what, are you going to kill me?" Tony gave no answer. The situation grew dark, and Skylark's stomach churned. Bulbasaur jumped from his arms, ready to fight. "_Crap, Bulbasaur, he's going to kill you!"_ Skylark panicked.

"Arcanine, hit him with an Ember!" Just like before, Arcanine shot out beams of fire, aiming directly for the small Bulbasaur.

"Run into it to avoid the pain!" Skylark commanded again, hoping to end up like it did last time. Bulbasaur ran forward into the oncoming flames, but this time was different. The flames hit Bulbasaur with a force so great, causing her to stop in her tracks and endure the fiery flames. Skylark gasped, and before he could command his next move the Arcanine moved in to attack again.

"Arcanine, Fire Fang!" The Arcanine ran forward to the slowly recovering Bulbasaur, but as she looked up at the giant dog running toward her she couldn't move in time. The dog jumped forward and bit, leaving big marks of fire on her.

"Stop it Tony! It wasn't your turn to attack!" Tony gave no reply. "Bulbasaur, use your tackle!"

"Alright, time to use our TM move Arcanine." Tony smiled. "Use Flamethrower!" Skylark's heart stopped. Arcanine's mouth began to glow as Bulbasaur approached, still following through with the orders of her trainer. Skylark's instinct kicked in as the flames began to come from Arcanine's mouth, and he ran over and covered the Bulbasaur, absorbing not only her tackle but also the flames of the Arcanine.

Skylark's body lay on the ground, burnt to a crisp, and Bulbasaur remained unmoving either. "Good job Arcanine. You really saved us here. Let's go back." Tony recalled Arcanine and started to leave, and soon called out to everyone else that the job was done. Skylark, one of the most popular championship trainers, now lay covering his most prized possession: Bulbasaur.

_One hour later…_

Bulbasaur struggled out of Skylark's arms, expecting Skylark to get up and for them to keep moving. She stared confusingly at the body. Why wasn't he moving? She wandered around the body, seeing the burn marks on his back and his blood on the ground. Why was he hurt? Bulbasaur looked around frantically, hoping to find something to soothe the burns of her trainer.

She ran over to a bush, biting off multiple berry twigs and putting them next to her trainer. They were berries meant to ease the burns of Pokémon, and she hoped that they would do the same for him. But he still didn't move. She began to tear up, and finally broke into tears. The first trainer to ever show her love was now hurt and unmoving. By her instinct she ran away, going down the dirt path of the forest in an attempt to escape and lead people to Skylark to save him.

She left her trainer momentarily in order to save him. She ran down the path of the forest alone. Finally, she burst out into an opening. It was where Skylark and Bulbasaur had first met, on the long path between the Academy and Skylark's house. Bulbasaur, remembering which way was which, ran down the road to the Pokémon Center. She had to save Skylark.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Debt is Repaid

Bulbasaur swiftly skidded into the middle of the Center, everyone stopping their daily tasks to notice the small Pokémon. "Bulba! Bulbasa!"

"Aw, what a cute little Bulbasaur." The nurse, Nurse Joy, commented. Bulbasaur hopped wildly, attempting to get their attention to go save Skylark. "Are you hurt? Do you need a checkup?" Bulbasaur frantically shouted, turning her body to the door motioning outside. "Here, I'll wrap you up in no time and we'll find your owner."

Nurse Joy bent over and grabbed the frantic Bulbasaur, and when she stood up she turned around to go into the back rooms. Bulbasaur struggled to get free, but finally she found she couldn't struggle. Force was needed. Biting onto the arm of Nurse Joy, she endured the high pitched shriek of the nurse and finally jumped from her arms. She ran to the door, the nurse running after her. Bulbasaur jumped over the receptionist desk, finally making her way to the door.

Nurse Joy chased after her, but as she saw Bulbasaur running for the door it occurred to her that Bulbasaur was trying to lure her outside for help. She pressed an emergency buzzer, alerting another nurse in the back to come up and man the reception. After pressing the button, she grabbed a coat and her phone and ran after the Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur ran down the dirt path, hoping to catch up to Skylark and save him. She hoped to do the same as he did when he found her. Bulbasaur had wandered out of the bushes, badly burned, and Skylark had no obligation to help the hurt Pokémon but he still did. Likewise, Bulbasaur didn't have to save him, but she was anyway.

After a few minutes of running, Nurse Joy following behind, Bulbasaur picked up the scent of her original trail and quickly hopped off from the road. She ran down into the forest, hoping to find her wounded trainer soon. Finally, she stumbled upon her burnt trainer, his unmoving body still curled in the position he was in that saved Bulbasaur. She wandered over to his front side, still burnt. The berries were still there. Bulbasaur started to cry as she nudged the trainer, hoping to wake him up.

Nurse Joy burst through the bushes a minute later, finding the heavily burned trainer and his burdened Bulbasaur. "Oh…oh my God…" She nearly dropped her phone as she pulled it out of her pocket, attempting to call the police and the actual hospital doctors. "Ye-yes, hello? I'm out in the woods with a heavily burned trainer and his Bulbasaur….the name?" She stopped and walked over to the other side of the body, and she gasped. "Skylark!? It-it's Skylark Declan!" She freaked out, and frantically begged for help.

In about five minutes the police showed up, as well as some first aid technicians. They carefully took the body, placed it on a stretcher, and then retreated from the dark forest. Skylark's heart still beat, but his body was too heavily damaged. If he didn't get help soon, he'd be dead…

**_Later, in the morning…_**

Skylark slowly opened his eyes to a dark hospital room. He was in a hospital gown and was hooked up to multiple machines. On the foot of his bed was Bulbasaur, who had finally gone to sleep hoping that her trainer would be safe. To the right was his mom, sleeping on a couch. "M-mom?" His mom quickly hopped up, making eye contact with Skylark.

"Skylark!" She hopped up and nearly tackled him, but before she hugged him she stopped. "I…I want to hug you so bad but the burns on your back are too severe."

"Burns?" Skylark felt his back and then yelped in pain. He thought back to last night, remembering that he jumped in front of Arcanine's attack to save Bulbasaur. "Did it burn me that bad?"

"Yes…last night once we got you to the hospital you had actually died. Someone revived you, but I'm not sure how." Skylark and his mom exchanged thankful glances, happy that he was alive. "What happened last night anyway?"

Skylark explained everything to her, and she frowned. "I tried to escape to tell the police of their organization, but I was stopped by a kid and his Arcanine. We were no match, and he would have killed Bulbasaur if I didn't step in."

"You're a brave son, Skylark." She praised. They talked for a while, and soon Bulbasaur woke up. Bulbasaur tackled her trainer, and they embraced tightly. Skylark was so thankful for a Pokémon like Bulbasaur. But soon, the fun ended and the police came in.

Skylark explained to them the entire organization, and they got into action immediately. While Skylark recovered, a series of events unfolded. Within three weeks, the organization was brought down and everyone involved in it was taken to the police station and detained. Their punishment never reached Skylark's ears, but most of the time the punishment is a revoking of their trainer card and their Pokémon, as well as a hefty fine. Some even get jail time on top of that.

After about a month, Skylark was finally healed to a point where he could continue training. With the Kanto Tournament only months away, there was little time to train. Things were finally back to normal, and Skylark and Bulbasaur were closer than ever.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Winner Takes All: Kanto Pre-Tournament is Announced! Celia…shows interest?

Finally, it was the middle of May. Skylark had Bulbasaur for about six months now, but they were already one of the strongest tournament players in Slateport City. He won every tournament, and the only fight he had lost so far was to Tony's Arcanine. Skylark was the happiest he had been since he still had his dad, even with his painful scars from the fire on his back.

Bulbasaur was getting stronger and faster nearly every day, and he had become a role model for many trainers who had trouble winning battles. They looked at him and became motivated, knowing that he had once been even weaker than them but now he is probably in the top five trainers in Slateport. It was everything Skylark had dreamed of; but this wasn't his whole dream.

For a few months now Skylark had his eyes on the World-Wide Kanto Region Beginner Tournament, where youth from all over the world gathered and played against each other. His goal was to reach that tournament and win, and along the way beat Celia in a battle. Sadly, he was still head-over-heels for her, but he was determined to push those emotions aside when the battle came.

His final goal was, after winning the tournament, to set off and become the champion of the Pokémon League in every region, and becoming the Pokémon Master. Then he could prove to everyone that he is stronger and that they underestimated him. He wanted to prove them wrong so much.

One day, though, while at the Pokémon Academy, he was sitting on the bleachers and watching two trainers battle and practice. Bulbasaur sat beside him, watching and anticipating the moves of the Pokémon. Skylark and Bulbasaur had decided to watch other battles so they could observe the moves and personality of the trainers and Pokémon. Doing this, they could give a better judgment as to how to beat other trainers.

But after the battle finished and everyone applauded the winner, the gym instructor walked to the front of the class with a clipboard. "…Alright guys, we all know that the tournament to go to Kanto is this Friday night, so at the end of the week. It's only Monday so we still have time to get in some last minute training…some of you need it. It will be opened to the Slateport City Public, but they must be a beginner. The Pokémon cannot be higher than Level 15, but Level 15 is accepted. After everyone is signed in, we will set up the brackets. Afterward, ONE WINNER will be claimed the winner of the tournament and will win the all expenses paid trip to Kanto. So, I hope I'll see you there!"

"Hey, Skylark." Celia silently said. Skylark broke his concentration on the tournament and turned around to see Celia. His stomach got butterflies (or, since this is Pokémon, Butterfrees? **ba dum ch**) and he quickly stood up.

"Hi!" He said too enthusiastic, looking like a moron.

"Can we talk?" Celia asked, grabbing Skylark's hand and leading him outside. His heart raced, his head pounded. He was freaking out. "I…I want to talk to you."

"About?" His heart raced more. "_Oh my God, she's going to ask me out. We're going to date. Oh my God."_

"I'm impressed to see that Bulbasaur has gotten so strong so fast…" Celia complimented, but Skylark's soul was slowly crushed inside.

"Oh. Thanks. It's been a lot of work, but we're here now!"

"Yeah, well…" She leaned in closer. Skylark blushed redder than blood. "I think I'm starting to like you." That was the killer. His crushed soul now burst forward with life.

"Rea-Really?!" Skylark's voice was shaky. For a moment everything else just dropped from his mind. All his mind was now was Celia.

"Yeah." She smiled lightly, and Skylark blushed even more. "So, I guess I'll be seeing you at the tournament, right?" She began to walk away. "Bye Skylark!" That was the first time she used his first name.

"Bye!" Skylark was dumbfounded, star struck, all that lovey dovey crap. He walked back inside, Bulbasaur following behind. His mind had checked out for the rest of the day.

**_Later that week, roughly 8 P.M. on Thursday_**

Celia had flirted with him all week. He was so infatuated with her that he barely trained Bulbasaur that week. It was only on Wednesday that they trained because that was the day Celia would often be out training too. But now it was Thursday night, and Skylark was barely prepared. He could barely think about anything other than Celia now.

Skylark received a call reminding him of the tournament tomorrow, and soon after he jumped on the computer and mindlessly browsed the internet. He was so compelled with Celia that he had barely thought about his dreams of reaching Kanto and defeating her in battle. Tomorrow was an all-day training at the academy, so he would be forced to train his Bulbasaur.

The next day, Skylark woke up, immediately thinking of Celia and the tournament that night. He quickly did his morning routine and bolted out the door, down the dirt path toward the academy. He was going to train all day, eat a nice dinner and then head off to the tournament. He was prepared…or so he thought.

Even though he trained Bulbasaur all day, his heart wasn't in the battle. His heart was focused on Celia. She had his heart, soul and mind in her hands…and she intended to use it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: 1st Round of the Pre-Kanto Tournament

"LADDDIIEEEESSSS AND GENTLEMEN!" The announcer of the tournament, a somewhat hefty and stout man, shouted into the microphone. Everyone was packed into the Academy's Special Gym, which had multiple stands for crowds and a huge battle court. Everyone shouted wildly, the applause roaring. Some even had special posters and waved them around, cheering for different trainers and their Pokémon. Skylark even had his own fan section among his other fans, composed of roughly 30 fan girls. He paid no attention to them, for it was all on this battle and Celia. Mostly Celia.

"We will witness many matches tonight from our wonderful trainers, who have trained intensely since last year in order to compete. The winner of this match," the announcer took a deep breath, "will go on to Kanto to compete with the world-wide amateur tournament!" The crowd roared like a lion with applause. "To get things started, our first competitor is our famous Celia Robin going against a roughly new trainer who only started in August, James Brook. Are we ready?!" The crowd was ready.

Skylark stood inside, under the stands inside a rec room, where the TVs showed the current match. He watched Celia and her Cyndaquil totally annihilate James Brook's Eevee. She maneuvered the battle so perfectly, almost like a warlord planning his next attack on the enemy. It was an almost flawless move she executed, and she left everyone in awe. Especially Skylark. But even if she sucked he still would have been in awe. He was completely sold out to her.

Finally, within four minutes, Eevee fainted. Celia won, but everyone expected it. She had made it to the last battle last year in this tournament, but the last battle was a devastating loss. The enemy had a Mudkip, giving her poor Cyndaquil a hard time due to the Mudkip's water and earth type powers. They struggled intensely, but they lost. However, now that the man from last year had won and actually went on to win the Kanto Tournament, he wasn't allowed to re-enter, so Celia seemed to have the floor for this year.

Next, Skylark was up. He and Bulbasaur eagerly bust forward from the rec room and out onto the gym floor. The crowd went wild and his fan girl section went crazy. "Alright, Skylark! How long have you been a trainer?" This caught Skylark off guard; he didn't expect to be questioned.

"Oh, since October. About six months now." He answered, and noticed that some of the crowd even grew interested in the trainer. Not everyone knew who he was, but he had definitely caught their attention. How did a rookie like Skylark make it to this tournament?!

"So, you're quite the star rookie aren't you? For those of you who don't know, Skylark hasn't lost a single trainer battle since he started, and since he started training he took down an underground Pokémon tournament, which was charged with committing several crimes. Not only is he the star rookie, but he's also quite the hero!" Skylark didn't like the praise that came from the crowd, and his burn scars started to bug him right then. But he ignored it and just waved.

"Alright, so you're next opponent is Oliver Mans, and he brings his prized Mankey. Do you think you'll be able to take on this fighter type with your Bulbasaur?" Skylark looked down at Bulbasaur and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm pretty confident in our skills."

"Well, are you ready to get this started? Oliver, come on up!" Oliver bust through the other side of the arena, wearing a karate uniform with a black belt tied to his head like a bandana. Behind him followed Mankey, equally energetic as Oliver.

"Let's go Declan! We're going to be advancing, not you!" Oliver taunted. Skylark gave no answer. Bulbasaur moved in front of Skylark, and the two already knew how to win.

"Seems like we're ready. Let the battle…..BEGIN!" The crowd thundered with excitement.

"Mankey, let's try to attack him with some Fury Swipes!" Oliver shouted. Mankey ran forward to the Bulbasaur, who was in her battle stance.

"It's a she, and she's going to take you down! Counter attack with your Vine Whip!" As Mankey approached and prepared to swipe, Bulbasaur took her vines and whipped at all the slashes Mankey threw. They both attacked quickly, leaving the crowd in wonder. However, Oliver grew tense. Bulbasaur's speed matched Mankey.

"Mankey, let's Low Kick!" Oliver commanded. Mankey nodded and jumped forward, raising his leg and preparing to kick.

"Bulbasaur, dodge." Bulbasaur simply jumped to her left, completely missing the Mankey's right leg. Mankey was left open and defenseless after he landed, and Bulbasaur went in to strike. "Bulbasaur, let's use our new TM we got! Use Bullet Seed!" The crowd gasped. TM's were rather rare to obtain, and when you could easily get one they were rather expensive. But, not for Skylark.

Using all of the money from past tournaments they had won, Skylark put the money in a safe specifically for TM's that would benefit Bulbasaur. Bullet Seed was a lucky grab Skylark got a month ago, and it would soon prove to be a good buy. Bulbasaur shot a barrage of seeds into Mankey's back, causing the Mankey to scream and shout, also angering him as well as Oliver.

"Ugh! Alright Mankey, let's start to heat things up! Use Bulk Up, and then Focus Energy!" Skylark quickly looked over to the referee, and shouted at him.

"Wait, how can he use two moves in a row? That's a penalty isn't it?"

"You must not have read the rules. Trainers can make their Pokémon use two moves as long as they don't immediately affect the other trainer's Pokémon. For example, Bulk Up and Focus Energy only benefit and change Mankey, therefore he can use them both at the same time." The Ref replied. Skylark frowned at the stupid rule, but he had to accept it and move on. He looked back on the field to find Mankey, who was lightly glowing red from the attack increase. It worried Skylark.

"Alright Bulbasaur, let's use Vine Whip!" Skylark told Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur let her vines come out as she ran out to the Mankey. She whipped with both, but Mankey jumped out of the way of the second vine. However, the first one smacked him straight in the side. He spun around a little in the air because of the whip, but he landed on the ground on both feet.

"Mankey, Bulk Up and Focus Energy!"

"Bullet Seed!" Mankey dodged about half of the seeds, but the other half hit him head on.

"Bulk Up and Focus Energy!"

"Vine Whip!" Both whips hit this time, but it didn't seem to hurt too terribly bad.

"Mankey, Bulk Up and Focus Energy!" Skylark's stomach turned, and he grew worried. Mankey was now glowing red due to the attack and defense increases, and he feared that if he didn't do something soon Bulbasaur would be in trouble.

"Bulbasaur…tackle!" Bulbasaur nodded at her new command and started to charge at the Mankey. Mankey stayed perfectly still, waiting for his trainer's command.

"Alright Mankey, I think we've powered you up enough for now. Use your Low Kick!" Bulbasaur heard the command and tried to dodge, but Mankey was already prepared to attack. His kick swiftly flew through the air and smacked directly into Bulbasaur's face. It was a powerful kick, much more powerful than it would have been at the beginning of the battle, and it was also a critical hit. Luckily, grass type Pokémon only take about half the power that fighting type moves usually deal. If it wasn't for that, it's possible that Bulbasaur could have fainted right then and there.

Bulbasaur was thrown across the gym and landed near Skylark's feet. Skylark reached out for Bulbasaur, but quickly withdrew his hands. If he interfered with the battle, they would be disqualified. And he had to win in order to impress Celia. Oh, and to reach Kanto. But he had forgotten about that.

Suddenly, Skylark realized something. Even though it didn't look like the doped up Mankey was taking damage, it was now apparent that Mankey was hurt. He was panting heavily, and walked with a limp in his left leg. A head on critical tackle from Bulbasaur would be enough to win this battle. "Alright Bulbasaur, he may be powerful, but he's weak! He's got too much pride in this, so let's use that against him!" Bulbasaur slowly stood up and looked back at Skylark, curious of her next move. "Tackle, head on!"

"Bahahahaha, tackling? That's a normal type move against my powerful fighting type Pokémon!" Oliver laughed. "Mankey, let's take out this idiot! Fury Swipe!" Oliver commanded. Little did he know the true power behind Bulbasaur's tackle. With enough speed and a critical hit, it was easily Bulbasaur's strongest attack for the moment. Not only that, but Bulbasaur could also easily evade attacks while tackling. It was just too perfect.

"Go Bulbsaur!"

"Go Mankey!"

Both Pokémon prepared for their attack. Bulbasaur ran across the gym floor, preparing for a critical tackle. Once she was close enough to Mankey, Mankey started trying to swipe at Bulbasaur. Evasively, Bulbasaur dodged each swipe, only gaining speed as she approached Mankey. Oliver's jaw dropped and the crowd roared with intense amusement at what happened next.

Mankey had swiped four times, ending his attack. Now all that was left was Bulbasaur's attack. What happened next shocked everyone. Bulbasaur jumped up and tackled Mankey straight in his face, throwing him backward with great power. Without a doubt, it was a critical hit. Mankey flew back about ten feet and tried to land on his feet. However, as he landed, his hurt leg he was limping on gave in and he fell to the ground. The tackle he took from Bulbasaur, even with advanced defense and attacking her with Fury Swipes, was too much for him. He fell face first to the ground… and fainted.

"Looks like we have a winner of this match! Skylark Declan will be advancing to the next round!" The announcer said as he climbed back on stage and walked over to Skylark, raising his hand and identifying him as winner. Oliver, on the other side of the gym, called back his Mankey and quickly ran off the field, obviously ashamed at how cocky he had been but still losing. He was put in his place.

Skylark ran back into his rec room, Bulbasaur following behind, and was met with praise and condolences. But, he paid them no attention. He ran over to where Celia, who was watching the game, was sitting. "Hey Celia!"

"Oh hi."

"Did you see that?" Skylark asked as he walked by with Bulbasaur, on the way to get her treated by Nurse Joy.

"Yeah I did. Nice." Even with no effort put into the conversation, she had Skylark flabbergasted and excited to even be in her presence. He moved on and got Bulbasaur healed, and then went back to the rec room and sat with her. First round of this tournament was over, and all that was left was another battle, maybe two if it works out that way, the semi-finals, and then the finals. He could already smell victory rolling his way.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: 2nd Battle Commences…did they lose already?

"Did they lose already?" A little girl in the audience uttered.

"I…I can't tell. Those Ice Shards sure did a number on Bulbasaur." Her father whispered back.

"It's only their second battle, can he already be out?" Another man spoke. There was a large amount of smoke and dust surrounding the field, preventing anyone from seeing what was going on in battle. It was only Skylark's second battle, but it seemed as though the enemy had finally beaten him.

Rewinding about ten minutes, Skylark was sitting in the rec room with Celia, watching the battle going on outside. Someone's Butterfree was having a major problem taking down someone else's Poochyena, and the battle was finally coming to a close. The Poochyena went in for a bite, and it finally did the Butterfree in.

"Congrats, Rick and his Poochyena! They will move on to the 3rd battle, right before the semi-finals!" The announcer said, walking up from the rec room and back onto the floor. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, Skylark Declan and his Bulbasaur are entering their second battle against a trainer well known by you all. Her name is…" For a minute, Skylark thought it was him and Celia, and his stomach turned and burned. "Grace, and she will be using her well known Lapras!" Skylark exhaled, deeply relieved he wasn't facing Celia. Not only that, but the enemy was a water type, easy for Bulbasaur to battle.

He and Bulbasaur got up from their seat and eagerly ran out onto the gym floor, waving at his fans. As he made his way to the floor, Grace made her way onto the floor. She was a pretty blonde, dressed in a light blue coat and jeans. Lapras followed behind, and they were both serious.

"Alright, are we ready to begin the battle?" The announcer asked. Skylark and Grace nodded. "Alright then, let us battle! Fight!"

"You can go first." Skylark said, thinking that the worst that Grace had was something like a water gun.

"Lapras, let's use Ice Shard!" Lapras opened its mouth and shot out a wild blaze of ice, sharp and aiming at Bulbasaur.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Dodge Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur quickly realized the danger and whipped at the Ice Shards, and quickly hopped out of the way of the other ones. "Why can Lapras shoot ice!?" Grace dropped her serious look and actually started looking rather friendly. Skylark's innocence just brought forth a sympathetic smile.

"Don't you know? Lapras is a dual-type, being both water and ice." Grace replied. "Bulbasaur, being easily open to ice attacks, is in trouble now, isn't she?" Skylark grit his teeth and finally decided to make his move.

"Bulbasaur, use your Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur's bulb opened and shot out multiple seeds, all aiming for Lapras. Lapras attempted to dodge, but the seeds were just too fast. They hit Lapras, causing a major hit and some damage, but the Lapras still stood strong.

"Alright, Lapras! Confuse Ray!" Grace called out. Lapras shot from its mouth a Confuse Ray, hitting Bulbasaur directly. Bulbasaur suddenly became dizzy, wandering around and tripping.

"Bulbasaur! Can you hear me?" Bulbasaur stood up, faced the wall and nodded, thinking she was facing Skylark. "Come on Bulbasaur, snap out of it!" Bulbasaur nodded and then used her Vine Whip. "Bulbasaur!"

"Come on Skylark, you've still got your move to make." Grace taunted. "I want this battle to end soon."

"Bulbasaur!" Skylark yelled again. Bulbasaur gained some balance and actually managed to face the enemy for once. "_Hm. If she can't do the attack I call out, then I should call out the attack I don't want, and she'll do an attack I may want!"_ Skylark reasoned with himself. "Bulbasaur! Tackle!" Bulbasaur nodded and immediately sprang into action. Skylark's jaw dropped as Bulbasaur executed the best tackle he'd ever seen. But it didn't bug the Lapras, who just shrugged it off.

"Alright, now's my chance. Lapras! Ice Shard!" Lapras made a noise of agreement and shot off shards of ice, aimed directly at the confused Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted as dozens of shards pierced Bulbasaur and the surrounding area, leaving Bulbasaur surrounded by dust and small ice shards.

**_Back to the present…_**

"Did they lose already?" A little girl in the audience uttered.

"I…I can't tell. Those Ice Shards sure did a number on Bulbasaur." Her father whispered back.

"It's only their second battle, can he already be out?" Another man spoke. There was a large amount of smoke and dust surrounding the field, preventing anyone from seeing what was going on in battle. It was only Skylark's second battle, but it seemed as though the enemy had finally beaten him.

Skylark stood there, his stomach a deep pit. His heart started to ache. He wouldn't be able to impress Celia after his grass type lost to a water type. Tears started to swell in his eye. But, almost as if it was a divine intervention, the smoke cleared and Bulbasaur stood there perfectly fine. Around her lay several seeds and broken ice shards. Bulbasaur, as confused as she was, heard Vine Whip from Skylark when he yelled for Bulbasaur. She tried to use her whips, but instead shot dozens of small seeds out at the ice. Most were hit head on and shattered into small fragments, having no major effect on Bulbasaur. However, three shards did hit Bulbasaur and she took some damage, but it was nothing compared to what the Ice Shards would have done.

"No way…" Grace, impressed, commented. The crowd roared with excitement as they realized what had happened and how Bulbasaur survived.

"Bulbasaur…?" Skylark asked. Bulbasaur turned around and snapped out of her confusion. Quickly she turned around and faced Grace and Lapras. "Uh…Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur nodded and immediately brought out her whips. Already being close to the Lapras, she didn't need to move at all. Her whips shot forward, hitting Lapras and causing a critical hit. The speed of the whips, the lack of distance between the two and Lapras' weakness to grass definitely contributed.

Lapras nearly fainted, and Grace suddenly was on edge. "Uh, Lapras! Ice Shards!" Lapras nodded and shot forward multiple shards. Bulbasaur instinctively dodged, but still was hit with a few shards. The battle became apparent from that point.

"Bulbasaur! Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur shot forward dozens of bullets, all of which hit the damaged Lapras. Lapras fainted, and Skylark had won the battle. For the odds being in Skylark's favor, he definitely had a hard time taking down the opponent.

"There you have it folks! The winner of this round goes to Skylark!" Skylark waved as the crowd grew even wilder. Back in the rec room, Bulbasaur went to be healed and Skylark went to relax on the bench. He expected to see Celia and he wanted to brag about his win, but she was gone and out playing on the gym floor. Within a few minutes though, Grace wandered into the room. She walked over to Skylark and sat down next to him.

"You know," she began, "my goal was to go to Kanto and win the prize money. That way I could travel all over the world with my Pokémon."

"I'm really sorry…but I have my own ambition I had to follow." Skylark replied. He felt bad about destroying her goal, but he had to make it to Kanto to prove to Celia he had changed.

"I guess yours just outweighed mine." Grace was obviously upset, but she didn't talk about it. "So, why exactly do you try so hard to win?" Skylark hadn't really explained this to anyone, not even his mom. But seeing how upset Grace was, he decided to let her in on his goal of winning the tournament and then traveling the world, going to all of the regions and becoming the Pokémon Master. She was wide-eyed, amazed at such a vast goal.

"Wow!" Escaping from her mouth, she let loose many praises. "That's so cool! Do you have any idea on who you are taking to Kanto with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the winner of this tournament can take their parents and at most two guests. Do you have any friends to come along with you?" She asked. Skylark shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and explained to her that he didn't really have friends. Unexpectedly, she hugged him and started talking to him about a lot of stuff too. She was once depressed like him after the loss of her mother, but Lapras and her second Pokémon, an Eevee, kept her comfort and allowed her to be happy. Right then and there, Skylark made a new friend.

They talked for a while, and Skylark even forgot about the battle Celia was in. After about fifteen minutes, however, Celia won and came back inside. Grace was called out and told to leave the stadium now that she had lost, and she reluctantly agreed. "Well, Skylark, if you ever need help getting anywhere on your journey, feel free to ask for help!" She hugged him, and soon she was gone.

While Skylark was still in love with Celia, he was on a whole new level of happiness. He had been rather lonely with only Bulbasaur to comfort him, but now he had an actual breathing human friend. He was excited and in a whole new realm of happiness. However, after half an hour had passed, he snapped out of it as his name was called out for the third battle of the night. He was now more determined than ever to win. Not to prove someone wrong, but to make his new friend proud.

**_To be continued…_**

**Author Note: How would guys feel about having a "Next Chapter Sneak Peek" at the end of each chapter? Maybe just like a paragraph or two. It's probably pointless but it'd give it more of a tv like feel, which is what I'm aiming for. **


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Battle Right Before Semi-Finals—Skylark vs. Rick!

"Shall I repeat the rules, or is everyone good?" The announcer, once again the portly man, asked Skylark.

"No, I understand completely." Skylark replied.

"You?" The announcer, motioning to Rick, asked.

"No." Rick uttered. Rick was about 15, six feet tall and wore blue jeans with a green jacket. On his head he wore a hat, styled like a Pokéball.

"Alright then!" The announcer said. The crowd roared back into life, and soon Skylark was back at it. Surprisingly, the last battle before this one ended quickly, with some mysterious Pokémon knocking out someone's Pidgey in an instant.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Skylark commanded, and soon Bulbasaur sprung forward and began to whip at the Poochyena. Poochyena wasn't fast enough, and was hit with a multitude of whips. When the attack ended, however, Poochyena was able to get the upper hand due to Bulbasaur being so close.

"Bite." Rick said. Poochyena didn't even give a moment of hesitation as he jumped forward, biting the whips that Bulbasaur had yet to put away. Bulbasaur freaked out, shaking around and retracting the whips, still in Poochyena's jaws.

"Tackle, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur nodded to Skylark's command. As Poochyena was dragged to Bulbasaur, she jumped forward, straight into Poochyena's body. He let go of the whips as he flew forward, landing on the ground some feet away.

"Tackle." Rick calmly said. Like a flash, Poochyena was off, tackling Bulbasaur straight in her side as she tried to dodge.

"_How did Poochyena move that fast?!"_ Skylark shouted in his mind. "No matter…Bulbasaur, Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur, recovering from the hit, turned to the dog and opened up her bulb, shooting dozens of small seeds at him.

"Dodge." Poochyena dodged most of them, but about five seeds smashed into him, taking one HP for every bullet. "Bite." Poochyena ran forward the Bulbasaur, who tried to dodge. But the strong jaws of Poochyena bit straight into her right arm, causing her to roll around in pain for a minute. Even though the fight had just started, Bulbasaur had taken some heavy damage. Poochyena had also taken some damage as well.

"Leech Seed!" Skylark said to Bulbasaur, who quickly shot seeds into Poochyena's side (I know that's not how it happens in the game or anime, but I'd like to think that in order to leech the person's life it'd connect to them, you know?).

"What a stupid move. Poochyena, tackle." Rick uttered, and immediately Poochyena shot off to go attack Bulbasaur.

"Quick! Use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur shot off her whips, slapping Poochyena multiple times and stopping his tackle. Rick grunted and his face scowled, but he remained calm. Poochyena was ready to attack again, but soon the leech seed sucked life from him.

"Poochyena, Bite its head off!" Rick grew incredibly frustrated and barked out this command. Poochyena stumbled around for a bit, because of the sudden loss of HP, and couldn't attack. Its stamina had faded, and he was trying to make it come back. But it couldn't move.

"Poochyena has flinched, Bulbasaur may make its move." The announcer spoke into the microphone.

"Alright then! Bulbasaur, let's finish him off! Give your strongest Tackle!" Bulbasaur was off, running and gaining momentum as she approached Poochyena. Poochyena watched in horror as Bulbasaur jumped straight into Poochyena, giving a critical hit. Poochyena fainted, and Skylark won the battle.

Rick called back Poochyena and walked off the stage, his anger burning inside of him like a wild fire. Skylark, however, was happy and took the win. He was going to make it to the Semi-Finals! However, something bugged him.

Celia had won all of her battles too. As Skylark made his way back into the rec room, Celia and her enemy went out. If she won, she'd make it to the semi-finals too. If they both won the semi-finals…they'd face each other at the Finals.

Skylark cringed at the thought of this. "How can I possibly face Celia? I can barely think about anything but her." He said quietly to himself. He sat down on the bench, slowly worrying. Bulbasaur had gone to heal, Celia was out in battle, and all he could do was think. "How will I win against her?"

**Sorry for the short chapter, but that's just how the plan ended up working out. Next week will be better. **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Semi-Finals—the Winner Faces Her

"Celia wins!" The announcer shouted over the microphone. The crowd roared as Celia's Cyndaquil defeated the enemy's Zigzagoon. "She'll be going to the Final Round, coming up right after the next battle. The next battle is Skylark and Michael!"

Celia wandered off the stage, passing Michael as she walked by. Michael congratulated her, but she pulled him aside quickly. "Whoa," Michael began. "What are you doing?"

"Listen, Michael." Celia said. "You have to win this fight."

"Of course I do, I want to go to Kanto!"

"No, Michael, I mean you HAVE to win this fight." Celia looked around to make sure they were alone and then leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"That's why I have to win? Because Sk-" She quickly punched him in the stomach and he keeled over for a second.

"Shut up! He's coming!" Michael stood up straight, acting like nothing happened, and then Celia turned and walked away. Skylark came out from behind a corner. Bulbasaur following, and saw Celia.

"Ah! Celia! Nice job on winning!" Skylark said. Celia smiled, and that's all Skylark needed. He kept on walking, following behind Michael as they both made their way onto the gym floor. The announcer did his usual things, and finally allowed the battle to begin. Michael sent out his Pikachu and Skylark sent out Bulbasaur.

The battle was nothing out of the ordinary. Bulbasaur shot a few bullets and whips, and Pikachu counter-reacted with a few bolts of lightning and quick attacks. The battle lasted for a few minutes, but the crowd's attention faded away near the beginning of the match. Battle after battle, they longed for the Final Battle to decide who would go to Kanto.

While the battle drew out on the court, Celia sat inside the rec room, nearly alone now. She and Skylark had nearly beaten everyone, leaving her isolated inside the once populated room. She breathed heavily as she sat, bent over, consumed in her thoughts. "_Please…Michael…don't let him win."_ Celia sighed. "_We can't possibly fight. Even if he's in love with me…"_ She began to tear up.

Meanwhile, Skylark was finishing up the fight. Bulbasaur took very little damage from Pikachu's electric attacks (Grass takes half the damage from electricity, while electric pokemon take regular damage from Grass) and she could easily dodge all of the quick attacks. However, Pikachu was struggling. All the bullet seeds and vine whips had left Pikachu in a heavily damaged state.

The final move was set into play. "Finish him off with your Tackle, Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted in command. Bulbasaur nodded and hopped into action. Michael and Pikachu watched with horror as the quick Bulbasaur picked up such momentum that a direct hit would cause barely any inertia to her speed.

Michael lost the bottle, and in his mind he was upset. First because he was lost, but second because of what Celia said. He failed her. Meanwhile, Skylark ran onto the field and grabbed Bulbasaur as the crowd hollered and shouted for the finalist. "Skylark! Skylark!" The crowd shouted. Skylark was nearly in tears of how happy he was. It hadn't clicked to him, though, that the only one left was her.

Celia.

Skylark made his way off of the arena. Finally, they got a 10 minute break from battling to work out their plans and to rest. Skylark had barely rested all night. As he walked in, he took Bulbasaur to the healing station and then made his way to the resting area of the rec room. There, Celia waited. "Ah! Celia!" Skylark shouted, and she slowly turned around and gave a half-hearted smile. "Did you see me win that battle?"

"Yeah, I sure did. Good job." She uttered. "I'm surprised you made it this far."

"Me too! If it wasn't for Bulbasaur, I wouldn't be here." Skylark smiled and sat down next to Celia, who scooted away a little bit.

"Skylark, we need to talk."

"About?"

"Well, us, the finals, all that." Celia took a deep breath. "We're both going to compete against each other." Skylark took a deep breath too. "Don't let our...whatever you call this thing we have…affect the battle. I'm not going to hold back, and you shouldn't hold back either. I'm going to win this, and you know it. But still try."

Skylark grew irritated. His love basically told him she was going to beat him. "Who says you're going to win? My Bulbasaur is ten times stronger than your Cyndaquil!"

"Still, I've been training longer. Therefore, I'm going to win."

"That's not how it works!" Skylark was getting feisty now.

"Skylark, listen. Just don't hold back in your battle, please?" Celia looked down for a moment, hesitant to say something. She was tempted to open up to him about something, but she shook off the thought of it and kept it to herself. "Understand? I'll see you soon." She walked away, going to get her Cyndaquil from the healing area. Skylark was left standing there.

"_Something's not right…"_ He thought. "_She's…off."_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Long-Awaited Duel—Skylark Vs. Celia

"Oh good God…" Skylark muttered softly. The announcement had just gone over the intercom for him and Celia to go out onto the court. The final battle was now inevitable. He slowly stood up, his stomach weak and his knees wobbly. Bulbasaur ran from the healing center and stopped at his feet, eager to battle. He brought forth a small smile, but it quickly faded. He turned to the door, which slowly opened, leading out to the arena.

After gathering up the courage, he reluctantly walked out onto the game floor. The crowd was wild; this was the battle they had waited all night for. Many were chanting his name while the other members of the crowd shouted for Celia. It seemed as though it was half and half. Celia stood on the other side of the battle zone, showing no signs of wavering.

"Alright you two, listen. This battle will decide the winner for this tournament. The winner will be sent to Kanto to compete in the International Beginner Tournament." The announcer announced. "The same rules from the past will apply to this game too. Any questions?" Skylark and Celia stared at each other, and Skylark shook his head as did she. "Alright then. You two know what to do. We'll base who starts with our point and win system." The announcer turned around and looked at a TV hanging above the door leading to the rec room. "For those of you who don't know, we have a point system based on who won against who and how fast they won the battle. The faster, the more points. If they defeat an enemy with points, they absorb those points too. And it looks like…Celia will be starting. You may begin!"

"Cyndaquil!" She shouted with pride as her treasure ran out onto the field. "Let's get this started! Use Ember!" Cyndaquil ran forward, the flames on its back roaring like a wild fire. It spun around, and from its back it shot forward hundreds of small little embers.

"Dodge!" Skylark shouted back. Bulbasaur hopped out of the way, barely escaping Cyndaquil's deadly flame. "Now, let's use Bullet Seed!" Without hesitation, Bulbasaur shot out dozens of small little seeds. Cyndaquil naturally tried to dodge, but was hit with a select few, lowering her HP barely. "_What was I thinking? Grass barely works on fire types!"_ Skylark thought to himself furiously.

"Now, Cyndaquil, let's counter that with a Quick Attack!" Like a car going from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds, Cyndaquil was off as he slammed straight into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was thrown backward, but she wasn't out of the game yet. She was larger than Cyndaquil and had was able to take the hit easier than other Pokémon.

"While you have him there use Tackle!" Bulbasaur heard the command and sprang into action, attacking the Cyndaquil head on. The tackle threw him back, but he was still in for the game.

"Cyndaquil, let's use a Smokescreen!" From his mouth, many small pellets flew out onto the battle field. A wide screen of smoke covered the field, preventing the crowd and Bulbasaur from seeing.

"Uh, Bulbasaur! Let's use a Bullet Seed!" Skylark foolishly shouted. Bulbasaur, unaware of what she was doing, shot of dozens of bullets, aiming nowhere. Bullets flew all over the field, some flying into the stand and almost hitting someone. But luckily, by the time the seeds flew up there, the wind had slowed them down enough to where they wouldn't do much of any harm. Amazingly, however, was the fact that a few more seeds actually hit the hidden Cyndaquil. But again, it did little damage.

"Cyndaquil! Track Bulbasaur down and use your Ember!" Bulbasaur looked around, confused as to what direction she was facing, but soon found out the hard way what was happening. Dozens of embers flew into Bulbasaur's body, burning her and causing a major drop in HP. It was about this time, however, that the smoke started to lift. Some smoke was actually sucked in by the embers, being used as a form of fuel to keep it burning. No one had thought of it, but the smokescreen pellets were actually small oil balls that exploded into smoke. The oil served as a form of fuel, making the embers burn even longer.

"Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted. "Let's counter that with a Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur unwillingly brought out her whips and started whipping furiously. She smacked Cyndaquil about seven times with her whips, but Cyndaquil managed to dodge the other whips. While Skylark was getting hits, most of the attacks were grass based, which barely damaged the Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, Tackle back!" Cyndaquil jumped forward and smashed straight into Bulbasaur, throwing her backward. Skylark was battling surprisingly well in his eyes, but it soon faded. His brain, again wrapped around Celia, kept him distracted from actually attacking.

"Let's do another…Vine Whip!" Skylark commanded, but the crowd began to boo. All these grass attacks on a fire type? The crowd grew tired of his stupidity. The whips hit Cyndaquil again, but it didn't hurt too much. However, Skylark was on to something. Even with all of his grass attacks and small damage dealt per attack, it slowly did do its damage on the enemy. The tackles were great HP takers too.

"Cyndaquil, Ember!" Cyndaquil turned around and shot embers from her back, aiming at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur frantically hopped out of the way of some, but a few did manage to hit her. She landed on the ground and lost hold of her footing due to burns and fell down. However, she quickly got back up and prepared for her next attack.

"Bullet Seed!" Again, Bulbasaur shot dozens of her seeds again, all of which hit Cyndaquil. They did damage but it wasn't much.

"Quick Attack!" Cyndaquil was off, tackling straight into Bulbasaur's side. The battle dragged on for a while, with a bunch of weak grass types and tackles, and a few embers that Bulbasaur barely dodged. If Skylark was in the game, many believe he would have won early on. But he's so wrapped up in Celia that he wasn't thinking about strategy.

Finally, the end of the battle drew near. Bulbasaur was low on HP with only 6 left. Likewise, Cyndaquil was down to 6. All the tackling and weak grass moves Bulbasaur did ultimately weakened the Cyndaquil, and the embers and quick attacks did a number on Bulbasaur was well. Finally, however, it was time. Whatever the next move was, it would decide the winner. To Skylark's dismay, it was Celia's turn. The next move would decide it all. If only Skylark had thought about it, he could have won the battle!  
"Cyndaquil!" She commanded. Skylark's stomach twisted and turned because he knew what was going to happen next. "Use your Ember! Full Force!" Cyndaquil's back puffed up with flames as she ran forward, ready to burn the Bulbasaur to pieces. Skylark was in dismay, but something allowed him to think about something. She made her move, why couldn't he?

"Bulbasaur! Quick! Tackle!" Bulbasaur obeyed the command and ran to the Cyndaquil, ready to attack. The crowd gasped. The way the two would meet, Bulbasaur would burn before he even hit Cyndaquil because of the embers. But Bulbasaur ran, gaining momentum, anyway. Finally, the two collided in the middle of the arena. Cyndaquil shot embers, some hitting the stage and creating a large amount of dust and some hitting Bulbasaur head on. As Bulbasaur fell and began to faint, however, she gave one last push and smashed straight into Cyndaquil's back. The tackle was a critical hit.

The dust covered the field, making it hard to see the outcome of the battle. The crowd held their breath, as did Skylark and Celia. Slowly, the smoke rose. Hidden under the smoke lay Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil, both on the ground. They had both fainted at the same time. "Uh…" The announcer slowly spoke. "We'll converse with the refs real quick and work out what will happen. Please stand by." The announcer walked off the field, leaving the crowd, Skylark and Celia hanging.

It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that he came back out with a card in his hand. He walked out onto the center of the battle field, and spoke into the microphone. "Well, for the first time in Championship history…it appears we have a tie game." The crowd made a ruckus, demanding to know what this means. "Please, silence yourselves! We'll tell you what all this means. Are we all quiet now?" The crowd hushed, as did Skylark and Celia. They stood behind the announcer, who would soon decide the future of both of them. If Skylark won, he would go on to compete for his dream. If not, he would be devastated. If Celia won, she'd go on to compete for her dreams. If not, she'd suffer the same fate as Skylark.

"Going on to the Kanto Region Tournament will be…

Both Celia and Skylark!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Preparing for the Journey of a Lifetime—Skylark's Preparation for Kanto

About two weeks after the surprising tournament ending, Skylark began to prepare for his trip to Kanto. It was Wednesday, and on Friday they would leave for a boat to the Kanto region. Skylark was preparing not only for Kanto…but also for the trip afterward. He planned to win and then go off on his own to defeat the Kanto Region. And afterward, Johto. He also thought he may take a trip to the Sevii Islands. Afterwards, he would go to Hoenn. Then Sinnoh. Then Unova. And it was rather recent that they just discovered a new region, slowly being inhabited by people and scientists who wished to study the new Pokémon. It remains unnamed at the moment.

However, there was a problem in his plan; He hadn't told his mom. His mom knew he won and expected him to go to Kanto for the tournament, but she thought he would come home afterward. Tonight was the night, he decided, that he would tell his mom what he was going to do.

After packing his backpack with some clothes, some toiletries, a nice but small roll-up sleeping bag, and other small things he was going to take, he started to gather up money. While some people still used Pokédollars, many started converting to a card system that took the money they got from a bank. Everywhere accepted these cards, so no one had to walk around with hundreds or thousands of Pokédollars. After searching for a minute, Skylark finally found his card and checked online how much money he had. From winning all of his tournaments, he had a collected total of 21,000 Pokédollars. His jaw dropped at the ridiculous amount he had gathered.

Finally, after packing, he walked downstairs to the living room, where he found his mom fiddling on the PokéPad, which was a tablet that worked like a computer. He walked over to her and sat down, and she looked up. "Oh hi Skylark! Did you finish your packing?"

"Yeah, I got everything."

"Oh good honey. What do you want for dinner tonight?" His mom asked, pulling up some recipes on her tablet.

"Oh, whatever is fine. But mom, I need to talk to you." Skylark shifted nervously.

"What's up?"

"Well…I'm going to Kanto and all…and, well…I want to win the tournament."

"Obviously dear. You and Bulbasaur will easily win."

"Well, that's what I hope will happen. But, what I plan to do after is what is worrying me. Mom…I want to become a region trainer." Now, even though he was already a trainer, he wasn't a region trainer. A region trainer meant that they trained in a particular region in order to advance through the gyms and eventually conquer the Elite Four, making him the champion of that region.

"…" His mom didn't reply.

"I know it may be hard for you, being alone, and it will be hard for me leaving and going out on my own. But I want to do this, and I want to conquer the regions and become the best trainer I can. But I can't do it if I stay here…"

"Just like your father." His mom spoke up. She was slightly crying, but managed to steadily speak. "Your father wanted to conquer the Hoenn region. He wanted it more than anything. And he actually did it."

"What?! Dad defeated the Hoenn Elite Four!?" Skylark was shocked. His dad was so calm and peaceful, and he only seemed to own a simple Abra that occasionally Skylark saw. After his dad's death, however, Abra had been given to the Pokémon Scientists. Last he heard, the Abra was with Professor Oak, a scientist in Kanto.

"Oh, Skylark. He was magnificent. He had a party of Pokémon that was beyond your imagination. He had such powerful friends. That's what made him different than other trainers. He didn't treat his Pokémon like they were nothing, or lower than him, or that they were tools only for fighting. He treated them _exactly _like friends. He loved them to death. But as time went on, and I was pregnant with you, he stepped down as the leader of Hoenn and donated his friends to other trainers who he knew would treat them well. Oh, they were beautiful. Later, after giving up his friends, he received an egg from one of his old Pokémon, which was an Alakazam. That's where Abra came from."  
His mom got all choked up.

"I can't believe it, Skylark. You're just like your father. Such high ambitions…" She seemed so happy that he wanted to do all this. "Do you have a partner to bring with you?"

"What?"

"Surely you're not going to wander through the Kanto region alone. You could get attacked or something." She said. "Bring someone as a partner. You two can become best friends too!" One person flashed in his mind, but he kept listening to his mom. Ultimately, after a few minutes of talking, his mom was happy for him to fulfill his dream. She even got up and double checked if he got everything; that's when she gave him a special item.

"They call this the PokéTent. You're dad picked one up during his journey. It's as small as a Pokéball, but when you press the center button, it unfolds into a large tent. Let me show you." Skylark and his mom walked outside, and she took the small blue ball out and pressed the center button. She counted to three and then threw it, and it slowly unfolded and made itself into a large blue tent. It was one large circle with some flooring in it too, as well as a zipper door in front. Near the top it was grey. Overall, it was amazing and rather impressive. "Take it with you."

Skylark was shocked at the overwhelming support of his mom. He expected her to make him stay, but instead she urged him to go on. He was so happy at this. Not only that, but he was shocked about his dad. His dad was the champion of Hoenn…who would have known?

However, something bugged him. He needed to get a friend to go with him to Kanto for his journey. He only knew one person to ask, but he didn't know how they would respond. Still, he gathered up the courage he had and looked in the directory, and soon found her address. He walked to her house with Bulbasaur by his side, and soon found himself in front of Grace's house.

"_Alright Skylark…she's your friend, isn't she?"_ Skylark took a deep breath and walked forward to the door and knocked. He waited for a minute before the door flung open and Grace ran outside and tackled Skylark with a hug.

"Ah! Skylark!" She shouted happily. Grace was a 14 year old (two months younger than Skylark) blonde girl who Skylark befriended after he beat her in the tournament. "I heard you won! That's so awesome!"

"Haha, thanks! I'm excited to be going to Kanto." He replied, still worried about what she will say.

"Well, come on in! My dad is at work, but he'll be home soon. But feel free to come on in." Grace grabbed Skylark's hand and pulled him inside. She lived in a house like Skylark, but the upstairs was a bunch of rooms while the first floor was just a living room, a den and the kitchen. She was rather energetic today. "So, who are you taking to Kanto?"

"That's…uh, that's why I'm here." They sat down in the den area. "I don't really know who I'm planning to bring with me, so I wanted to know if you by any chance…"

"Are…are you asking me if I want to come with you!?" Her face blew up with excitement. "I'd love too!"

"Well, that's good! But the main issue here is this…" Skylark took a deep breath. "I'm going to do my best to win, and after I win I plan on going through the regions as a regional trainer and defeating the gyms and the Elite Four in each region. I told my mom today, and she happily approved. However, she wants me to bring along a partner, or someone to keep me company. And, well, I wanna know if—"

"OH MY GOSH! YES! YES! YES!" She stood up and ran over to Skylark, tackling him with another hug. Something was wrong with her and hugs, Skylark began to think.

"So, I guess this means you want to come along with me?"

"Of course Skylark! I'd love to come along with you!" She went back to her chair and sat down. "I'll need to pack quickly and make sure my dad is okay with it, but I'm sure he will. He's usually a carefree guy, and if he knows I'm with such a strong trainer I know he'll be okay with it." Skylark blushed at her compliment, but he was relieved knowing that she was willing to go along with him in Kanto.

Skylark went ahead and shared with her what his plan was. He told her that he had some supplies, like the PokéTent. She was excited about the whole thing, and she was eager to get started on their journey. She almost went to go pack but it was at this moment that her dad came home.

"Ah dad!" She ran outside and greeted him. He pulled up in a nice, small car, and then he soon came inside, following Grace. Skylark sat in the den and watched as the dad walked forward and observed him. He was a bald man, probably mid-forty's, and was skinny.

"You're Skylark, yes?" He said. "Grace wouldn't shut up about you after you beat her in the tournament." Skylark felt a little guilty again, but he didn't move. "She's pretty fond of you."

"Oh, but dad, guess what he wants me to do!" He turned and faced Grace. "He wants me to come with him to Kanto to watch him compete in the tournament, and then he wants me to join him as he goes through Kanto and the other regions as a regional trainer!" He stopped for a moment and looked confused.

"Regional trainer?" He turned around and faced Skylark. "That's a rather high goal, boy."

"Yeah…but I'm pretty sure I can do it if I have the right friends." He was referring to Bulbasaur and Grace.

"I see." He turned and asked Grace to leave the room for a second. She happily took this as a yes and ran upstairs, eagerly preparing to pack. He turned back to Skylark, who now grew nervous. He stuck out his hand. "My name's Jared." Skylark shook his hand. "Is it true you want to take my Grace with you?"

"Well, yes, sir…" Skylark simply stated. "She and I talked some at the tournament, and she's one of my only friends. My mom wants me to bring someone along with me, and I figured I could bring her…if that's alright, I mean."

"What level is your Bulbasaur?" He asked.

"I think…level 13." Skylark replied.

"Have any more than just that one?"

"Not at the moment, but I plan to catch some in Kanto, maybe Johto too." There was a moment of silence as her dad sat there and slowly thought about things.

"Do you have a lot of money?"

"About 21,000 sir."

"That'll cover a lot…as well as winning the gyms and with other trainers." He replied. He thought some more. "How much are you willing to do to protect her?" He was serious, and his voice was stern.

"I promise sir, I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe. Ahead of myself, even." Skylark said. Some of that was just trying to convince her dad, but Skylark partially meant it. She was his only friend.

"Alright boy, you listen well. I'll let her come with you. But you have to promise me one thing…" He said. "Ahead of everything else, you make sure she is safe and cared for well. If she calls home and says she isn't, you take her to the next ship and send her home immediately, or I will call the police on you." He said this in a very serious tone, but Skylark was overjoyed that he agreed.

"Y-yes sir. Thank you very much."

"Now, I'm going to talk to Grace about it too. If you want you can come over tomorrow and you two can hang out." He didn't say it, but this was Skylark's code to leave.

"Thank you sir. I'll see you tomorrow." Skylark got up and walked out of the house, making his way back home. The next day, he made sure everything he wanted to bring with him was packed and ready to go, because he wouldn't be back home for a long time. Then he went to Grace's house, where he hung out before leaving for dinner. Finally, it seemed, everything was going right. He had a partner, he was going to Kanto, and everything was just great.

On Friday morning, he and his mom met with Grace and her dad at the port. Grace had packed her backpack to the brim with clothes and other things, as well as her Lapras in its Pokéball. By her side was her Eevee. They loaded on board the boat, and turned around to her dad. She shouted out her goodbyes to her dad, promising to return one day, and they soon were out of sight of Slateport. It was now only a small amount of time before Skylark would begin his quest.

His quest to become the Pokémon Master was just beginning.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Arriving at Kanto—The Games Start Soon

"Ah Skylark! I can see the shore!" Grace shouted excitedly. It had been about two days and two nights since the boat had left Hoenn, and now they were finally arriving to the port of Viridian City. Skylark walked out from the dining area to the side of the ship, where Grace stood. Indeed, the shore was very close.

"Oh yeah! I can too!" Skylark exclaimed. These past two days, Skylark and Grace had spent almost all their time together, talking about anything that ranged from random subjects to deep conversations, such as the loss of their parents. Needless to say, they were slowly forging a strong relationship, just like Skylark and Bulbasaur.

Within the hour they were at the port of Vermillion City. After gathering their things, they walked down the ramp that the ship had laid out. Skylark, with Bulbasaur by his side, took their first step into Kanto together. With their right feet, they both took a big step onto the ground of Kanto. Thus, in Skylark's mind, their journey together had just now begun.

After stepping off the boat, they went to a Train Station close by and caught a train to go to a city that was located close to Pallet Town. The city was solely for championships. It had a gigantic stadium, larger than any other stadium in the world, and the town surrounding it was half citizens, half competitors. Skylark forgot the name of the city, but the train would take them there in a day.

It was about this time that Skylark started to think of Celia. She was somewhere on that boat, and she was somewhere on the train with them right now. He grew lovesick again, but managed to hide it from Grace. Skylark's mom was in another cabin area, and he and Grace were in their own cabin. Skylark lay down with Bulbasaur at his feet, and Grace sat around and played around with her Eevee.

"Do you ever think you'll evolve him?" Skylark asked. Grace looked down upon the small Eevee, who looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm not sure. I've thought about that since the day I got him." She replied. "The plus side of evolving him is he will become stronger and more adept with a specific type, but then again, being in a normal state leaves him in this cute form and…oh, it's so cute."

Skylark nodded, understanding what she meant, and then stared off into the ceiling. It was about 2 now, and dinner was going to be served at 5:30. Maybe he'd see Celia there…

"So what do you think you'll do once Bulbasaur evolves?" Grace asked. That hit Skylark hard. It just occurred to him that Bulbasaur would evolve. He always saw her as a Bulbasaur, nothing more. Seeing it evolve into something more was just out of the question.

"I'm…not sure. I think I should catch it before it evolves."

"You haven't even caught Bulbasaur!?" Grace was shocked. "Skylark! That's illegal! They HAVE to have a Pokéball to go into! Like a dog with a leash!" Skylark jumped from his bed.

"What?!"

"Why does Bulbasaur follow you around and fight for you then?" Grace asked. Skylark had never explained how he met Bulbasaur to anyone before. Not even his mom.

"Well…I found her dying on the side of the road, so I took her to a center…and she just sorta followed me around after that."

"But you need to catch it!" She freaked out. She reached into her backpack and threw Skylark something. It was a Pokéball. "Catch it now!"

"But—"

"Now!" Grace grew stern. Skylark took the ball and compressed it, making it go from a small ball to the size of a regular Pokéball. Then he pressed the center button, opening the ball.

"I don't want to put Bulbasaur in the ball forever though."

"You don't have too. You can have him follow you, but he needs to have a ball for safety reasons." Grace said. Skylark stared at the ball, unclear of what to do. Should he catch it now? Should he wait? They sat there quietly for about twenty minutes, but then they started talking again. Skylark put the ball into his backpack. He had a plan for it…

The rest of the day was quiet. They hung around and talked, and after dinner they went back to their room. They soon found out that their room had a TV and video-game system built into it. It was a Wii-U, and it was the upgraded version that could play with two tablets. They found a 3D Pokémon game and fought each other for hours. Sometimes Skylark won, and sometimes Grace won.

Finally, the next day, they arrived in the city. They got off the train together along with Skylark's mom and made their way to their hotel. Once they were settled in their rooms (Skylark's mom in one, them in another. They were given two suites, each connected to each other by a door), Skylark head out to explore the city with Grace.

They were going to go to dinner somewhere, and then explore the town. Skylark was excited. Since it was almost summer now, Skylark had shed his black hoodie that his dad gave him. He wore some shorts with a nice blue t-shirt. As they wandered to find a nice diner, Skylark noticed a PokéMart. Grace saw a pet store and went in to look at all the pets, so Skylark took this opportunity to go look around the mart.

He walked inside and investigated the shelves. There, they had many potions and food for Pokémon as well as books for beginning trainers . They also had things to buy to help your Pokémon become stronger or boost up stats temporarily in a battle.

Finally, he made his way to the front of the store to the counter. "Hello! What can I do for you?" A nice lady with brown hair asked.

"Uh, yeah, hi…I have a question." Skylark said. He took the Pokéball out of his backpack and put it on the counter. He spoke to her some more as he positioned the ball on the counter so it wouldn't roll off.

"Yes sir, this'll be fine. Thanks for stopping by!" She took the ball and put it in a box underneath the counter. Skylark thanked her and walked out, and then found Grace at the pet store. They left together and then went to a diner. Later that night, they watched a movie in their suite, and after showering and feeding Bulbasaur and Eevee, they went to bed in their own beds.

The next day, the Kanto Tournament would start. The strongest beginners in the world would be there. Skylark was honored to be one of them. But, he would have to face Celia, who has a fire type, and all he has is a grass-type. Even then, without her, there would be many more, stronger opponents. Skylark was worried. The tournament lasted five days. How would he make it that long? That night he had no dreams; he was terrified of the next day.

He woke up around 8. The tournament started at 10:30, but he had to be there at 9:30 for brackets. He went and showered up, then got Bulbasaur and Grace and went to breakfast somewhere. Finally, it was time for it to start. Skylark showed up at the tournament building and signed in. Finally, they assigned him to a bracket and the tournament was about to start.

It was now 10:50. Three battles had already happened, emerging with three winners. It was now Skylark's turn to battle. His enemy came all the way from Sinnoh, and it was apparent that he had trained very hard. His name was Cody. Skylark was incredibly worried. This was broadcasting world-wide, and if he failed here his dreams would be dead. He had to win. He will win.

**Sorry for the short/crappy/unimportant chapter. I ran out of motivation somewhat and I had a lot of work. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Kanto Tournament Starts—Skylark vs. Cody

"Lllllaaaaaddddiiieeeesssss and Gentlemen!" The announcer shouted into the microphone. Skylark was in a large arena, filled with roughly 25,000 people. The Kanto Tournament was always one of the biggest events of the year, and it received a lot of publicity worldwide. "Are you ready to kick off the start of this tournament?!" The crowd roared wildly, like an angry boar, urging to see some action. "On the left side, we have Skylark and his Bulbasaur!" The crowd applauded and cheered Skylark on. Even though he was new to Kanto, much of the world knew his name alone. Anyone who makes it to this tournament always received huge publicity for years to come. "And on the other side of the field, we have Cody from the Sinnoh Region!" The crowd roared as a kid with ginger hair, a purple t-shirt and brown shorts walked onto the field, Pokéball in hand.

"The rules of this match are like the ones you had at home. Is that understood?" Skylark and Cody nodded. "Alright, let the games begin!"

"Go, Drifloon!" Cody shouted as he threw the ball onto the court. A Drifloon came out of the ball, showing itself ready for battle.

"Let's go, Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted as well. Bulbasaur ran from his side and onto the court.

"Cody, you may go first!" The announcer said.

"Drifloon, he's a grass type! Use Gust!" Skylark immediately shuttered as Drifloon started to send off a giant wind gust toward Bulbasaur.

"Dodge!" Skylark shouted. But it was too late. The gust hit Bulbasaur, knocking her off her feet and rolling her back a few feet. The wind hit Bulbasaur hard. Bulbasaur lay there stunned for a moment, but then stood up and prepared for battle. "Now, let's hit him with a tackle!" Bulbasaur nodded and ran forward, but soon the action was followed by laughs. Bulbasaur jumped straight through Drifloon, leaving it with no damage.

"Alright Drifloon, use astonish!" Drifloon turned around and astonished Bulbasaur, taking out some more HP. Skylark stood there, shocked and in fear.

"_How did he completely miss Bulbasaur's tackle?...wait!"_ Skylark remembered that, in class, he learned that normal types don't effect ghost types. "Bulbasaur! Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur whipped its vines, but it only hurt Drifloon slightly.

"Drifloon, let's try using Gust again!" Cody shouted. Drifloon started to bring up some wind again, and when it shot the wind off at Bulbasaur it completely missed. Bulbasaur had started to naturally run on her own, and she had already managed to dodge the attack.

"Bulbasaur! Turn around and try a Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur turned around, as commanded, and started a barrage of bullets. They all smashed into Drifloon, who didn't seem concerned with dodging. The bullets took some HP, but as Skylark also learned, Grass types only do half the normal damage to ghost and flying types. But with no other option, he was left with only grass moves.

"I see…Drifloon, let's use Swagger!" Skylark tried to yell at Bulbasaur to dodge, but it was too late. The swagger beam hit Bulbasaur, not only confusing her but sharply raising her attack status. While this was a win-lose situation, Skylark thought it would eventually help him in the end. If Bulbasaur could get over her confusion, she could keep the attack boost and attack with full power. But, it'd take time.

"Bulbasaur! Let's try leech seed!" Bulbasaur looked confusedly at Skylark, and then shot off bullet seeds. Skylark smiled, glad that the attack worked, but soon realized that Bulbasaur was swarming in circles, shooting off randomly. But this time, it was shooting in bursts. It didn't occur to Skylark until now, but Bullet Seed was a multiple hit move. And it seemed as though each burst gained more power. Skylark's face beamed brightly as he soon realized this. The fourth burst, supposedly twice as strong as the first two, hit Drifloon. Mixed with the upgraded attack power, and the stronger bursts, it all worked to Skylark's lucky advantage. It seemed fate smiled upon him today.

Drifloon was hit with that hard attack, taking a pretty hefty amount of damage. Cody grit his teeth and frowned. "Drifloon, let's try to hit it with another Gust!" Drifloon nodded and shot forward more gusts of wind. Bulbasaur, who was confused, didn't bother to move. In fact, it started to run forward and into the wind.

"Bulbasaur NO!" Skylark shouted in dismay. But sadly, the gust hit directly into Bulbasaur's face, spinning her around some and shooting her backward about ten feet. Bulbasaur sat there for a moment, absorbing the blow from the wind. It was low on HP. Red zone. "Bulbasaur! Please, listen to me! You must use your Vine Whip, alright?" Skylark was desperate. He knew that Drifloon was roughly close to the same position they were in right now, and a steady vine whip would assure them a win. That bullet seed was the best thing to happen to them.

Bulbasaur stood up, looking around confusedly. From its back shot forward leech seeds, which fell upon Drifloon and latched onto the skin. "Ha, Drifloon! Astonish!" Drifloon moved forward, ready to astonish Bulbasaur, but it was right about then that Bulbasaur jumped forward and attempted to tackle. Bulbasaur jumped forward and through Drifloon, like last time. Drifloon's attack missed and Bulbasaur's tackle missed. Then, leech seed sucked some life from Drifloon and gave some back to Bulbasaur.

Leech seed helped slightly, giving Bulbasaur an extra boost of power and taking away Drifloon's energy. But it was now Drifloon's turn. "Gust!" Drifloon turned around and began to whip up some wind, but Bulbasaur had snapped back into consciousness. She shouted her name and turned around, facing the enemy and Skylark, alerting him that she was now back.

"Bulbasaur, please! Use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur nodded and ran forward, releasing whips from her bulb and attacking Drifloon. Drifloon was still whipping up gust as Bulbasaur ran forward. Finally, however, it snapped the wind forward and attempted to attack. Bulbasaur foresaw the attack, however, and jumped out of the way of the attack. Drifloon's face was stricken with fear and so was Cody's face.

The whips shot forward, smashing into Drifloon's sides and face. Drifloon fell to the ground, out of energy and defeated. Cody's face was in shock. How could such a weak grass type defeat a flying AND ghost type?! Cody called back Drifloon, his face covered with sadness. It was only a matter of time before the announcer claimed Skylark the winner and the crowd roared with happiness. Cody walked off the stage, saddened by his loss, but was now out of the tournament. Skylark would now advance and move on. His dream was still alive.

He walked off the stage with Bulbasaur and gave Bulbasaur to a nurse. The nurse took her to a healing room, and Skylark walked and met Grace and his mom. They congratulated him and hugged him a lot.

Today was Monday, and the ending of the tournament was Saturday. Saturday would be the day to decide everything, assuming he made it that far. One of these days, he would have to face…her…she also won her battle today too, to no one's surprise. Skylark went back to the hotel after eating a victory dinner, and was soon overwhelmed with worry. How will he fight his loved one?


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Battle Rages On—Tuesday's Matches

"Alright, Lauren, it's your move." The announcer said. A girl, roughly 13 years old, threw her Pokéball out onto the field. Out of the ball came a Poliwag, who excitedly hopped around for the battle. Skylark was relieved that it was against a water type this time.

"Alright Polly, use Hypnosis!" Skylark's face turned upside down as a beam shot forward, hitting Bulbasaur head on. Bulbasaur fell dead asleep, and the match had only just begun. Skylark grew infuriated at the circumstances.

"He-hey! Bulbasaur! Wake up!" Bulbasaur didn't budge.

"Polly, use Double-Slap!" Poliwag jumped forward and began to slap Bulbasaur repeatedly. The move hit three times, moving Bulbasaur backward about two feet. The slaps weren't major damage, but if Bulbasaur couldn't wake up they were in trouble.

"Bulbasaur! Wake up!" Skylark shouted again. No movement.

"Polly, use Water Gun!" Polly hopped backward and began to shoot a ray of water, smashing into Bulbasaur. It only did half damage, so it barely hurt. But Bulbasaur still didn't move.

"Bulbasaur! Come on!" Skylark shouted. "Vine Whip if you can!" It was around this time that Bulbasaur sluggishly stood up, shaking her head slightly. "Alright! Bulbasaur! Did you hear me?" Bulbasaur nodded and jumped forward, whipping the enemy Poliwag without mercy.

It was a critical hit, and it knocked Poliwag out on the spot. The battle lasted a total of three minutes, and Bulbasaur emerged triumphantly. Lauren called back her Polly and ran off the field, and Skylark walked back to the resting area. Bulbasaur ran into the healing station, and Skylark went and sat on a comfy chair in the resting area.

It wasn't until about three hours later that Skylark was called back out to battle. He and Bulbasaur triumphantly wandered out onto the field and faced their enemy. It was a Mareep. Skylark felt confident in his abilities because Electric types aren't effective against grass. But grass worked just like normal.

His enemy was another girl. She was about 17 with green hair. She took her Pokéball and threw it out onto the field, sending out her Mareep. "Alright Mareep, use Thundershock!" She shouted. Skylark wasn't worried at all. Bulbasaur even managed to dodge the attack, not taking any damage.

"Alright Bulbasaur, use Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur jumped into action and started to shoot off multiple seeds at the enemy, hitting Mareep with bullets that came in three bursts. Each burst was stronger than the last.

"Mareep! Headbutt!" Skylark stopped for a second and wondered what move that was.

"_Is that a form of tackling?" _Skylark thought to himself. He found out the hard way as Mareep smashed into Bulbasaur, shooting him backward. The hit was powerful, to the say the least. Not only did it hurt, but the hit managed to paralyze Bulbasaur due to Mareep's static ability. Bulbasaur sat there, unmoving. "Bulbasaur! Try using your Vine Whip!"

To his dismay, Bulbasaur didn't move. The paralysis had stumped Bulbasaur, and she couldn't move. "Sweet! Mareep, Thundershock!" Mareep happily jumped forward and shot a small bolt of thunder at Bulbasaur, shaking her up a lot. Skylark grew worried; if Bulbasaur couldn't get up and start fighting, he wasn't going to make it too far.

"Bulbasaur! Vine Whip!" Skylark shouted desperately. Bulbasaur slowly moved and managed to whip at Mareep, but it only hit her on the side. Nevertheless, it was a hit.

"Mareep, let's hit it with another Headbutt!" Skylark tensed up and grew worried.

"Bulbasaur! Try and dodge the attack!" Bulbasaur heard the command, and tried to jump out of the way, but it was to no avail. As Mareep was near Bulbasaur, Bulbasaur took action into her own hands. Forcing all she had, she took out her whips again and started to attack. She smacked Mareep right in the face, throwing Mareep to the side and making her miss the attack. Not only did she miss, but Bulbasaur's whips hurt it. Bulbasaur then froze up, paralyzed again.

"Thundershock, Mareep!" Mareep turned over and started to run over to Bulbasaur, where she then shocked her with more electricity. Bulbasaur shuddered, but was still intact.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur moved again, this time smacking Mareep straight in the head. It shot her over to the side of the field, knocking Mareep out. Skylark stood victorious once again. The other girl called Mareep back and ran off of the stage. Skylark picked up Bulbasaur and walked off the stage. Thinking he was done, he tried walking out of arena and to go to a healing center. 2 wins and only four more days to go, Skylark felt confident that his dreams would come true.

**Sorry for short uneventful chapter. Tons of school work and personal stuff so yeah. My apologies. **


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Skylark's Day Off—Mapping Out Kanto

"No, sir, you aren't battling today. You fight Thursday, Friday and Saturday if you keep winning." A security guard in front of the rec room said. "You got a day off."

"I do?" Skylark asked again.

"Yes sir. Enjoy the day!" The guard said again, pushing him away. Skylark nodded as he was pushed away and walked back to his hotel. On his way back, though, he ran into another trainer in the square. The man ran forward and stopped Skylark.

"Wait! We must battle! It's a trainer's way!" He shouted. Skylark stared at him, confused, but the man was insistent. He threw out his Pokéball which held a Metapod. "Harden, Metapod!" Metapod grew much stronger in defense as Skylark sent out Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, tackle!" Bulbasaur ran forward, slamming into the Metapod. Is face showed great pain as it was knocked backward.

"Metapod, tackle back!" Metapod got up and hopped furiously toward Bulbasaur, who managed to dodge the attack.

"Tackle again!" Skylark shouted. Bulbasaur hit Metapod again, knocking it over for good. It passed out. "So I guess I win?"

"Nope! I still have another one!" The man shouted. "Go! Caterpie!" He threw out a second ball, sending out a Caterpie. Skylark was shocked, as he was used to only one on one battles. "Caterpie, use string shot!" Caterpie immediately hit Bulbasaur with string, covering her two front legs, leaving her immobile.

"Bulbasaur, try your Vine Whips!" Bulbasaur nodded and started to whip at Caterpie. Grass type is not very effective against bug types, but Bulbasaur easily outnumbered Caterpie in levels. The vine whip knocked Caterpie out.

"No! Darn it." The man shouted. He felt around in his pockets, not finding any source of cash. He frowned, but then began to speak. "I don't have money to pay you, so take this." He walked over, took off his hat and gave it to Skylark. It was a straw hat with a green band, which most bug catchers wore these days. "The hat was about 100 Pokédollars. I hope it suffices!"

"Whoa, what? Why are you paying me and giving me stuff?" Skylark asked, surprised. "All I did was win a battle.

"You must be new to training, aren't you?"

"I'm actually not a regional trainer yet. I'm in the tournament, but after I win I intend to go after the regions."

"Hahaha, after you win? Pretty cocky attitude. Anyways, I'll go ahead and tell you. After you beat trainers, once you're regional anyway, they have to pay for losing. So, since I lost to you, I had to pay a certain amount. Most people pay around 300 to 1000. But by law, the lowest amount you can pay is 100 dollars or an item worth that much."

"So I just get your hat?" Skylark looked at it. "Well, it looks rather nice."

"Yeah, I just got it yesterday. It's a beautifully crafted hat too, I bought it from one of the best weavers in the Kanto/Johto land. I usually wear my hats in the forest or on the beach to protect from sun burn." The man said. "By the way, my name is Roger. I hope one day we can have a rematch! Preferably when you're a regional trainer. Maybe we'll see each other in the Viridian Forest!"

"Viridian Forest?"

"Yeah? The forest that leads to Pewter City, where the first gym leader in Kanto is located."

"Is that close?" Skylark asked.

"Sort of. Well, I suggest you stop by Pallet Town and talk to Professor Oak first. He'll make you an official regional trainer as well as give you a PokéDex. I would say he'd give you a starter, but it seems as though you already find one!" Roger said as he walked away. "I was stopping in on the tournament, my cousin is actually competing in this tournament."

"Oh cool! Who is he?"

"Actually, it's a she. Her name is Celia. Celia Robin, actually. Her dad is my dad's brother! I was hoping she would win, but seeing you battle today I'm sorta tied between you two now." Roger replied. Skylark nearly fell over. Roger was her cousin!? Why was everyone in her family a trainer?

"Oh, cool. I hear she's good." Skylark tried to play cool.

"Well, you seem clueless as to the Kanto Region. Am I right?" Roger said. "Here." He gave Skylark a map of the Kanto Region, with certain spots circled and named while others not so much. Skylark stared at it intently, confused. Some of the circles had numbers by them.

"What is this?" Skylark asked.

"Ah, the circles are the cities with gyms in them. The numbers are the number gym they are. That 1 right there is Pewter City. Basically, the gyms are arranged in a circle type thing that end up leading back near Pallet Town, which then leads to Victory Road and to the Elite Four." Roger replied. He helped Skylark significantly that day. He gave him advice on the journey, the fastest routes and the longest routes, as well as the cities to stop by. Some of them weren't even Gym cities, but just cities to stop by for a vacation or a break.

It almost seemed like fate for Skylark to meet Roger. If he hadn't, he would have no plan and he would have been lost from the start. They talked for another hour, and then walked to a center to heal Roger's Metapod and Caterpie. Then, Skylark invited him to lunch, where they talked more about each other and about the journey unfolding.

Before he knew it, the day was over. Skylark was upset, but glad to have made a new friend. At the edge of the city, Roger had his backpack on and his Pokéball at his waist. Roger bid him farewell, and told him he'd be listening to the radio to hear who the winner would be. Roger walked off into the wilderness, planning to make his way back to the Viridian Forest. There, they would rematch.

With Wednesday now over, Skylark checked the tournament results to find that another fifteen people were knocked out of the tournament. One game involved cheating from both sides, which eliminated both players. Celia had again advanced, which only made Skylark more nervous.

Tomorrow was Thursday. Then Friday and Saturday. With only 3 tournament days left, Skylark had to give it his all those three days if he wanted to advance at all. He would have to overpower and defeat his enemies if he was serious about his dreams.

**Authors Notes: I understand that Roger and a straw hat allude to One Piece, but seriously, I'm not trying to do that here. Every Pokemon character has a hat, plus I thought it'd be useful for forests or whatever, so I was like "he can get it here!" So yeah. Not trying to make another allusion to One Piece as I usually do :P**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Thursday's Match—Celia's Betrayal?

Today was Friday. Skylark walked out onto the court, Bulbasaur following right behind him. In front of him stood none other than her—Celia Robin. She stood on the other end of the court. In Skylark's eyes, hate flared. His heart was a consuming black hole, sucking in all emotions that weren't hatred. Ever since yesterday, Skylark had been through hell and back—multiple times. And now he would do the same to her.

**_Earlier, on Thursday…_**

"Ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready to see our two stars compete for tomorrow's semi-finals?" The announcer, this time a young skinny man, shouted. The crowd roared wildly. "This time, we have trainer Dillon fighting Skylark. Dillon is fighting today with his Caterpie, which has made it all the way from the Johto Region. Skylark is fighting from the Hoenn region! Are we ready to start?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Dillon said. Dillon wore shorts, a dark black shirt and had blonde hair. He was a rather handsome teenager, roughly Skylark's age.

"Me too." Skylark said. Bulbasaur ran out in front of him, prepared to fight her enemy. Caterpie, while a bug-type, normally doesn't know any bug attack that could harm Skylark. He was confident.

"Then, without further ado, let the game begin!" The announcer shouted, along with the wild crowd.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur ran forward, vines escaping from her bulb. She whipped violently at the Caterpie, only knocking it backward a little bit.

"Caterpie, Bug Bite!" Dillon shouted. Caterpie jumped forward at the unsuspecting Bulbasaur and bit her leg. Being a bug type move, it was super effective.

"Whoa, it knows bug moves?" Skylark said, worried.

"Yeah, level 15 Caterpie!" Dillon bragged. Skylark was anxious, afraid that this may be the match he will lose to.

"Tackle, Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted in retaliation as Bulbasaur smashed into the little bug. It was a critical hit. But, Caterpie was still left with a lot of HP.

"Let's go with a String Shot, Caterpie!" Dillon commanded. Caterpie commenced to shoot its stringy webs at Bulbasaur, covering most of her body. It weighed her down, slowing her speed.

"Hey Bulbasaur, you're alright! Let's try going with a Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur jumped forward and began to shoot sprays of bullets at Caterpie, knocking it backward with three bursts in all. Caterpie was weakening, but it was still preparing for the attack.

"One more Bug Bite, Caterpie!" Caterpie ran forward and lunged at Bulbasaur, biting her feet. Bulbasaur shouted in pain, but was still going. Her HP is more than half gone though.

"Bulbasaur! Tackle!" Bulbasaur shrug off the pain temporarily and slammed into the unsuspecting Caterpie. Caterpie flew backward, landing on the ground some feet away.

"Caterpie, let's hurry up and finish this round! Another Bug Bite!" Caterpie nodded and jumped forward once more, preparing for a final blow. Skylark analyzed the situation quickly, and knew which move he should do next.

"Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur opened her bulb once more and shot a barrage of bullets from her back, smacking into the tackling Caterpie. Caterpie was hit with the first burst and was thrown backward, but then started to come back again. This time, the second barrage flew out toward Caterpie, smacking into its body once more.

This continued three more times. The total amount of bursts was five, and each burst had gotten stronger each time it hit. This was enough to finally knock Caterpie out, winning the battle for Skylark. The crowd cheered for Skylark as Dillon grabbed his Caterpie and ran off the court. Skylark was once more relieved.

After winning, he took Bulbasaur in and began taking her to the healing center, when suddenly Bulbasaur stopped moving and faced Skylark. Skylark was confused, but soon found out what was happening. Skylark's PokéDex began to beep wildly. Skylark checked it and saw that it was stating that Bulbasaur had grown to level 15. It also said that it wanted to learn a new move.

Skylark stared at the new move, contemplating if it was write to accept. It had such great power; it could possible defeat Celia and her Cyndaquil. But…

Skylark had no time to contemplate the move at the moment. He put his PokéDex up and kept walking. Bulbasaur reluctantly followed as well, and Skylark put her in the healing center. He left her there as he started to talk back to the rec room, where Celia waited for her next battle. But, he only found heartbreak in the next room.

Celia sat in the room next to Dillon. She had her arm around his neck, and one hand on his chest. "I'm so sorry I lost to that nobody, babe." Dillon said to her. Skylark stood in the back, confused by the scene.

"It's alright honey, I'll just beat him tomorrow. The idiot's too in love with me to even battle me, let alone beat me." Celia replied. They exchanged a small kiss on the lips. Skylark died. "It sucks that we barely get to see each other."

"I know babe. When I moved to Unova a year ago, it was awful. But at least we get visits and things like this, and video messaging." Dillon replied. "I'm positive you'll stomp him tomorrow." They exchanged a cuddle. Skylark's soul had left his body. He was now in Hell.

"What…" Skylark uttered. Immediately they turned around. "What…" His hands fell to his side. Celia remained silent.

"Hey bro, good game today." Dillon said. Skylark had no breath in him. "I'd been training Caterpie up for months, but I guess I just gotta train harder. Maybe if I stopped with all the constant video calling I'd get stuff done." Celia looked down.

"Skylark, I ca-"

"You can what, Celia?" Skylark shouted. "WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY DO."

"It was Dillon's id—"

"YOU WENT THROUGH WITH IT!" Skylark shouted. Tears began to form. He couldn't stand to be in the same room anymore. He ran. He ran by the healing center and took Bulbasaur back. Bulbasaur wasn't even healed yet. He took her back and ran to the nearest center, where there she got healed. Skylark, however, left her there for a little while. He ran off and told his mom and Grace what happened. He ran into the woods and found a quiet area. There, he cried wildly.

His pain outnumbered the stars in the sky, the sand on the beaches, and the amount of Zubat's found in caves. He stayed in his quiet area for nearly two hours as he cried and tried to find himself. Wild animals and Pokémon all around him were terrified. They fled whenever they got close. He threw rocks, punched trees, beat the ground, and sobbed. His anger was the only thing that matched his depression.

It was here that something befell him. In the wild, he saw a Pidgey and a Caterpie fighting. Naturally, he thought, the Pidgey would win due to its type advantage. However, Caterpie managed to continually attack the Pidgey until it finally gave up and flew a short distance away. Skylark watched as they fought, questioning the ethics of the battle. Finally, something hit him.

"_It doesn't matter with type advantages…if you have enough force, you will definitely win, hands down."_ Skylark thought to himself. "Yes!" He jumped up, tears still slightly rolling down his eyes. "I know what I'll do! Celia Robin! I will give you the hell you gave me!" He shouted. He ran back to the center and picked up Bulbasaur, taking her back into the wild. There, he trained slightly for a while, experimenting with all of Bulbasaur's moves, and finally deleting one move. Then, he replaced that deleted move with the new move that Bulbasaur was trying to learn. "_Such power…"_ He thought. "I can win! Prepare for your downfall Celia!" Skylark shouted. His mind had now left this world. His only goal: Defeat Celia.

**_Back to present times..._**

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the two semi-final games we will see today! It all comes down between these two trainers, both from Hoenn! On the left side, we have Skylark, who has a Bulbasaur that is out of this world! On the right, we have Celia, whose Cyndaquil is bursting with power! Are we ready to battle?" The announcer said as the crowd roared wildly.

"I am…" Celia said, half with power but the other half with uncertainty.

"Yes." Skylark was the only one who was totally nonchalant.

"Well, without further ado…

Let the battle begin!"

**_To be continued…_**

**Sorry for the delay. Had a lot of work, personal business, and today we just got two brand new puppies! Next chapter should be updated as normal.**

** Also, I have a question. I'm playing through Heart Gold at the moment, and I'm about half way through (first elite four round). I'm naming my Pokémon after One Piece characters. My Meganium is Luffy, my Scizor is Zoro, my Ampharos is Nami, my Pidgeot is Usopp, my Poliwrath is Jinbe, and my temporary Robin is Alakazam, but I intend to catch a Raltz after I beat the elite four and name her Robin and train her up to Gardevoir. For Sanji, I plan to get a Hitmonlee. For Brook, I'm gonna get a Duskull and train it up to a Dusknoir. Now, here's my issue. I can't think of a good Chopper or a good Franky. I was thinking for Franky that I would get a Magnezone, but I'm not 100 percent sure. Someone said I could get a stantler for Chopper but I want someone better. So, any suggestions? Please?**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Two Rivals, One Winner- Skylark and Celia Finally Duel

"Well, without further ado…Let the battle begin!" The announcer shouted. Celia shouted first, in almost a desperate voice.

"Cyndaquil! Ember!" Cyndaquil nodded as he turned his back and shot out hundreds of embers at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur didn't move, waiting for the command of her trainer. Skylark remained silent, his anger too great. Bulbasaur still dodged the embers, but was slightly upset that Skylark didn't say anything.

"_This isn't the time to show her my new move yet. The battle is too young." _Skylark thought. "Bulbasaur. Leech Seed." Bulbasaur nodded and shot seeds onto Cyndaquil, latching on like leeches, preparing to slowly suck the life out of Cyndaquil.

"Ember!" Celia shouted once more. Cyndaquil shot more embers out at Bulbasaur, who dodged most of it but was hit with a few embers, losing a few HP. Skylark could now hold it back no longer. His hatred grew bigger than his ambition, his heart now scorched black with a hellish anger.

"Bulbasaur, Take Down." Bulbasaur looked back, saw Skylark's strict face, and nodded. She ran forward, faster than she ever had with Tackle, and smashed straight into Cyndaquil's body. Cyndaquil's eyes went white, wide with pain, and he was through across the court and almost out of bounds (If you've ever seen the anime, you know that the gym courts have boundary lines. Here, in the tournament, if you fall out of the line the pokemon used is no longer eligible. So here, out of bounds means losing). The move Take Down is the move Bulbasaur learns on level 15, which she reached when she beat Dillon's Caterpie. It has 90 power, but it has 25% recoil.

As Cyndaquil began to land on the ground, Bulbasaur's face writhed with some pain as she tried to grab for her head. The hit hurt Bulbasaur, no doubt. But the force put on Cyndaquil was much more. Cyndaquil reluctantly stood up, struggling to recover from such a hit. "Cyndaquil! Use your ember!" Celia shouted, in shock that Bulbasaur now had such a powerful move. It's nearly twice as strong and fast as her already strong tackle.

Cyndaquil sat for a moment, in a daze. The announcer started to count down before shouting a flinch. Flinching in the tournament was a ten second delay of the Pokémon in question after receiving a command. The announcer got down to two before Cyndaquil started to move to attack. Its back flared up with wild embers and flames, preparing to attack Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur anticipated the move, but the pain of the hit was still messing with her mind. Bulbasaur didn't dodge the attack; Cyndaquil shot the fiery red embers straight into Bulbasaur's face, causing mass pain and HP loss. Bulbasaur rolled over, extinguishing the flames on her body, and panted heavily. The hit was hard.

However, the leech seeds started to suck the life out of Cyndaquil and give it to Bulbasaur. It wasn't much, but the energy was very helpful to Bulbasaur. Cyndaquil felt the loss of energy and quivered, but he still fought. "Bulbasaur, Vine Whip." Bulbasaur nodded as she ran forward to the already weak Cyndaquil in front of her and whipped wildly. The hits, while grass, still hurt slightly.

"Cyndaquil, don't show weakness!" Celia said desperately. Skylark smiled as he saw how desperate Celia was becoming, noticing that she was worrying about Bulbasaur's power. "Smokescreen!" Cyndaquil immediately jumped forward and shot small balls of smoke out of his mouth. The arena was filled with smoke.

"Bulbasaur, spray your bullets with Bullet Seed." Bulbasaur heard the uncompassionate voice once more as she bent forward, shooting her bullets around the arena. The first three bursts missed completely, but the fourth one smashed straight into Cyndaquil, delivering a harsh blow. But, because it was grass, it only did half the normal damage.

Cyndaquil was hit with the burst and thrown out of the smoke, being placed at Celia's feet. Celia noticed the awful wounds and bruises he had, and she nearly cried. "_Skylark…calm down…I'm sorry I did this to you but our Pokémon shouldn't suffer either!"_ She thought to herself. "Skylark, let's end this! Cyndaquil, make your strongest embers!" Cyndaquil stood up, his back flaming with wild embers. He nodded and ran off, his speed picking up greatly.

"Yeah, you wish it was over!" Skylark angrily growled. "Bulbasaur! Put everything you have into your Take Down!" Bulbasaur reluctantly stood up as she boosted off to go Take Down Cyndaquil. They both ran into the smoke, but they both completely missed each other. Bulbasaur ran out onto Celia's side, tripping and falling on the ground, taking a few HP off for the crash. Cyndaquil still shot embers, but they missed Bulbasaur completely. They instead absorbed the charcoal-ish smoke in the air and took away all the smoke.

Skylark and Celia frowned, upset that their strongest attacks missed completely. Celia sadly looked down, but she was still desperate. "Let's go Cyndaquil! Quick Attack!" Cyndaquil turned around and swiftly sped off, smashing into Bulbasaur's side, knocking it over and rolling her around some. Again, Cyndaquil lost more energy from the Leech Seeds, and Bulbasaur luckily gained more power.

"Bulbasaur, destroy her. Take Down!" Bulbasaur, with her weak body and somewhat hurt heart from Skylark's cruel battle strategy, lightly ran forward and smashed into Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil was thrown over into the corner, his body now crumbling from all the pain. Bulbasaur, likewise, fell down and clawed at her head, taking damage from the recoil.

"Cyndaquil, end it for good! Please! Ember!" Celia shouted frantically, her voice cracking. She had gone so far, followed her dream wholeheartedly, and trained so hard. And now, because she lured Skylark into her trap and he found out, all of it was for nothing. But she still screamed, hopelessly, trying to see if maybe she could still make it out on top. Even with that worry, she was worried about the pain both Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil were enduring.

Cyndaquil, noticing his trainer's desperation, began to burn bright, hot embers. He ran forward, bent down and shot the hundreds of embers at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was panting heavily as her body slowly reached its limit.

"Bulbasaur, Take Down again! We won't let her win!" Skylark shouted. This time, however, Bulbasaur didn't respond. Skylark's voice was no longer compassionate and happy as it had been the previous battles. It was now filled with hatred and anger and Bulbasaur thought it was aimed at her. She refused to fight, especially with a move that brought so much pain unto her.

"Bulbasaur has flinched!" The announcer shouted.

"_Bulbasaur!"_ Skylark thought with anger. But, surprisingly, as the embers flew at Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil fainted. The leech seeds, to Skylark's luck, finally sucked the remaining HP from Cyndaquil. The embers, once controlled by Cyndaquil, burned out and were disintegrated before they hit Bulbasaur. Skylark was amazed. Celia, however, was crushed. Skylark knew her ambition outnumbered anything else in her life, and now he has destroyed it.

Skylark suddenly lost his heart of hate toward her…but now he hated himself. His hatred toward everything suddenly turned on him. His awful battle strategy suddenly hit him. He realized how awful he had been to Bulbasaur, and he also realized how much he had just hurt Celia. Even though she left him in Hell, Skylark now felt guilty for dragging her in there too.

Skylark would advance into tomorrow's final round, but Celia would be leaving for home that night. Skylark took Bulbasaur to the healing center, feeling awful about how much he pushed her. He waited for her to come back out of the center, where he gave her some food and hugged her tightly. He apologized as he slowly began to cry. Bulbasaur, however, took her whips out and hugged Skylark back, letting him know everything was okay. Skylark continued to cry and hold Bulbasaur for a few mintues, but soon contained himself. Bulbasaur then walked back into the healing center to receive some more food that the center gives for free.

Now, it was time to talk to Celia. She was in the rec room, crying. Dillon wasn't there, for some odd reason, and she was left alone. Skylark walked in and stood at the back of the room. She looked back, her tears rolling down her face. She looked down, and then turned her back. "Did you come to rub it in…" She sniffed.

"No…" Skylark responded lighted. He walked forward and sat next to her. "I came to…apologize, I guess."

"You guess? You, of all people, who didn't have a lick of training with any form of Pokémon, managed to beat me. I've been training for years to go to Kanto. I've been trying forever to start my journey in Kanto. And here I am again, so close to winning only to lose. And to you." Celia half shouted. "You didn't even have a Pokémon until like October! There's no way it could have gotten that strong that fast!"

"I've just been training a lot. Against other Pokémon…" Skylark said, thinking back to his events with the Underground Championship and with Tony. He remembered how happy he felt after he managed to live and was claimed a hero in Slateport. He envied those times. "I wanted to beat you so bad, but in the process I hurt those closest to me…you and Bulbasaur." Celia wiped away her tears, but some came strolling on down again.

"It just isn't fair! My worst rival in my life beats me. I even had a type advantage, yet I lost!" She shouted, angrily. "I wanted to go to Kanto, but the only way I can go is if my dad sees that I can handle myself, and he said that the only I can go is if I beat this championship. I was so close! But I lost to you!" She cried some more. Skylark sat there, silently.

"Now you know how it's felt the past 14 years of my life." Skylark uttered. Celia wiped her tears, and stared at Skylark. "Everyone had a Pokémon, battling with each other and playing with each other. And every day, Celia, you bragged about winning and how awesome Cyndaquil was. You added so much more pain to my already painful life." Celia was quiet. "You won every match and bragged about it to me. Every day." Celia stopped crying. They sat for a moment in silence before she finally started to speak once more.

"Was…" She began to talk. "Was I really that bad…?" She looked down, almost ashamed.

"Yes…" Skylark replied. She turned, stood up (pulling Skylark up too) and for the first time in their entire relationship, she hugged him. Not the fake hug like from earlier at home. She meant it this time. Skylark's heart began to race; his mind boggled.

"I'm so sorry." These words moved the entire conversation. Both felt awful about what they did. Finally, it seemed, they could forgive each other. Skylark could forgive her for what she did to him, and she could forgive Skylark for delaying her dream again. They embraced in a forgiving hug for a few minutes, but then Celia stepped backward. "Skylark, I know you're going to win tomorrow. And when you win, I have no doubt in my mind that you'll go on to Kanto, right?"

"Yeah, that was the plan, assuming Bulbasaur will come with me." Skylark said, secretly alluding to Bulbasaur's lack of official capture.

"Well, I want you to take something." She reached down to her wrist, where a green survival bracelet was. "I bought it my first visit to this tournament two years ago. I wanted it as a memento to remind me of my tournament days, and when I become older I wanted to use it as a memento of my trainer days. I was bent on going this year. But, I guess I won't make it again. So… I want you to wear this bracelet so it can go on the journey I can't go on." She handed the bracelet to Skylark, who put it on his left wrist. "But hey, when I win next year and I track you down, I want it back!"

Skylark looked at the bracelet. Finally, it seemed, the rivalry was over. His love was at peace, and he was at peace as well. That green bracelet…that's what symbolized it all. All was forgiven. Skylark left her there, feeling renewed and refreshed. His burden of love and hate—it was all gone. He took Bulbasaur and went out to dinner with Grace and his mom.

With a new piece of mind, Skylark could focus solely on caring for Bulbasaur and for the next day's match. It now all came down to this: Tomorrow, he would face one more man. That man stood in his way from his dreams. He had to win, otherwise it would all be worthless; he would disappoint Celia, Grace, himself, and the entire town of Slateport. He had _one_ chance to carry it out. He intended to make the best of it. Tomorrow…tomorrow is the day Skylark sets out to carry out his dream.

**_To be continued…_**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Due to unfortunate events, I have lost my flash drive, which held literally all of my writing. I had this entire chapter done, and I lost it. So, I literally have no time to write it at the moment. But I promised you the chapter, so I'm going to make it. Bear with me if it does not meet expectations. I'm sorry:(**

**On the bright side, I got pokemon black…it's pretty legit so far. I got a Snivy (evolved now), Panpour, Sawk, Drilbur, and Munna in my party. Pretty fun :D**

Chapter 24: The Final Battle Begins—Skylark faces the Champion

"_This is it."_ Skylark thought to himself. "_All of this training…led to this single battle…" _Skylark's heart beat hard. His stomach turned inside of him with fear. "_I can't give into this fear…if I do, I'll lose." _He walked out onto the battle field, Bulbasaur on his side. "_We will win. If not, I will never battle again…I will not hesitate."_ Skylark gripped his bracelet.

"LADDDIIIEEESSSS AND GEEEENNNTTTLLEEEMMEEEN!" The announcer man shouted into the eager crowd. Roars of fandom and competition responded. "Are you ready!? All the way from the Hoenn region we have Skylark Declan, a 14 year old trainer who has been battling with his beloved Bulbasaur. They have taken out countless foes, including enemies who had type in their advantage." The crowd roared, acknowledging his great power as a trainer.

"But, ladies and gentlemen, can he defeat the previous champion of the Kanto Tournament? All the way from the Kalos region (yeah, apparently the sixth generation is in this region. Or, that's what Wikipedia said anyway.), we have trainer Miller Bishop, who has entered the competition this year with his Tyrogue, which he used to win last year." As the announcer spoke, Miller walked out onto the stage with Tyrogue following behind. Tyrogue had a menacing look upon his face, determined to beat the enemy into a pulp.

"Now, are we ready to see how this fighting type will hold his ground against this wild grass type trainer?" The announcer asked. Everyone cheered, and Skylark and Miller nodded. "In that case…

3…

2…

1…

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!" Skylark shouted. Bulbasaur swiftly shot her seeds at the enemy, who, equally as fast, dodged them.

"Tyrogue, Work Up!" Tyrogue spread his knees apart, put one hand on one knee and his other hand on the ground. He concentrated, his body slowly heating up and sweating. He glistened a light red color, showing that his attack and special attack had been boosted.

"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur lunged forward and whipped Tyrogue in the side. He was thrown a few feet but maintained his ground.

"Tyrogue, Rapid Spin!" Tyrogue nodded, jumping forward and landing on his hands. With his hands he spun around, quickly hitting Bulbasaur multiple times with his feet. Luckily, the kicks weren't that hard. Tyrogue, after hitting about seven times, jumped backward and prepared for an attack.

"Bulbasaur, let's try using your Bullet Seed!" Bulbasaur hopped back and bent over, opening her bulb and shooting a multitude of bursts of bullets. Tyrogue was hit with three bursts, each hitting directly into his chest and slowly moving him backward. He was gripping the ground with his toes, preventing him from falling over but still not enough to prevent sliding. Finally, the bursts stopped, and Tyrogue prepared to fight again, his body still glowing with red.

"Tyrogue, Blaze Kick!" Miller shouted. Tyrogue nodded as he stood up straight. He stuck his right foot out and then bent it in, positioning it on the other leg (like the yoga exercise). Then, the red on his body moved to his leg, making the rest of his body normal looking and his leg very very red and hot. Then, it burst into flames. Skylark's face showed horror, as did Bulbasaur's face. Bulbasaur watched very nervously as Tyrogue put his foot back down and began to run forward.

"Bulbasaur, Take him Down before he hits!" Bulbasaur nodded and reluctantly ran forward. Not only was she scared of the fire, but the move itself hurt her. Skylark felt bad for it, but he felt it was better than that Blaze Kick. That kick would probably take them out of the tournament. So, Bulbasaur ran forward and smashed straight into Tyrogue, who flinched at the hit. He was thrown backward and onto the ground, where his leg was then extinguished due to lack of use. However, his body soon began to glow red again due to the Work Up. Bulbasaur landed too, her face writhing with pain from the hit.

"Tyrogue, Mach Punch!" Miller shouted. Tyrogue nodded and jumped forward, his fist forming. The punch was thrown straight into Bulbasaur's head, throwing her to the ground and making her face look covered with pain. Tyrogue's punch not only hurt, but the boost from the Work Up added more injury. However, since Bulbasaur was half-poison, fighting moves only do half-damage to her.

"Bulbasaur!" Skylark shouted. The punch hurt her a lot, but she wasn't about to let it take her out. "Bulbasaur! Shake it off and Vine Whip him!" Bulbasaur nodded, whipping violently at the foe in front of her. Tyrogue was smacked around with those whips some, one even smacking the back of his leg and making him fall over. He swiftly jumped up, though.

"Tyrogue, you aren't strong enough! Work Up!" Miller shouted in a strict tone. Tyrogue nodded and took the same stance as before, again pumping up his body and becoming redder and producing more sweat and heat.

"Bulbasaur, while he's working up Take him Down!" Skylark shouted nervously. He didn't want to make Bulbasaur use that move, but he was getting desperate. If Blaze Kick even hit ONCE, he was done for. Especially with Tyrogue becoming even stronger. Bulbasaur swiftly ran forward, Tyrogue still in his pose, but she was stopped.

"Let's try Mach Punch now!" Miller shouted. Tyrogue quickly put his fist out and punched, faster than the previous punch, and threw Bulbasaur backward. Bulbasaur was unable to attack because of the powerful punch. Tyrogue broke his concentrated and hateful look and let out a smile. Miller smiled too.

"Bulbasaur, can you hear me?" Skylark shouted in dismay. Bulbasaur lay there, unmoving, but breathing heavily. Even at half damage, the punch had become much stronger than before. "Bulbasaur, come on! Are you okay? Get up!" Bulbasaur hesitantly got off her side and stood on her four feet. "Bulbasaur! You need energy! Let's Leech Seed Tyrogue!" Bulbasaur opened her bulb and shot out more leech seeds, but they came out faster than usual. They latched straight onto Tyrogue's chest.

"Hahahaha!" Miller laughed. Skylark stopped his deep thinking and looked up at him. "What good is this gonna do?" He taunted. "Tyrogue, let's finish the match! Blaze Kick Bulbasaur!" The crowd roared happily as Tyrogue took his yoga stance from before and had his leg consumed in fire. Tyrogue ran forward and began to spin around as he jumped into the air. Skylark's stomach cringed and churned. He knew it was over. He shut his eyes and tensed up.

The crowd was hushed with silence as the kick was landed. Tyrogue smiled and Miller nearly jumped into the air with happiness. However, the kick…was on the ground. In fact, Tyrogue slowly fell to the ground after landing the hard kick. Bulbasaur stood behind him, her whips wrapped around his other leg, pulling very hard. Skylark opened his eyes to this scene.

This is what happened: Bulbasaur, knowing that the kick was coming, prepared herself for a Take Down. She ran forward, quickly taking action, and watched as Tyrogue fell down upon her. However, she took her whips and wrapped around his normal leg. She ran in between his legs, dodging the fiery leg and getting to the other side. There, she continued running and stopped, positioned where she was behind him and pulling on his leg. Skylark nearly cried from the relief.

"Bu-Bulbasaur! I'm so proud of you!" Skylark shouted. "Now, let's continue this battle! Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur wearily nodded as she swiftly pulled Tyrogue's leg and forced him onto the ground. She turned around and proceeded to whip him unmercifully. It was a critical hit, and Tyrogue lay there with his body still glowing red. Using all of his will power, he stood up and faced Bulbasaur. Tyrogue stumbled a bit, feeling the loss of energy. Bulbasaur felt the rush of energy and stood up a little taller. But it didn't do much to affect the match.

"Tyrogue, what are you doing?" Miller shouted. "We've trained for months! I've taught you all these moves, now use them!" Tyrogue shook his head, getting his thoughts together. Then he nodded. "Now, Tyrogue, let's end this! Another Work Up!" Tyrogue, hesitant for a moment but then responsive, took the position again and pumped up his body, allowing more sweat and heat. He grew almost as red as a tomato, or even as red as Groudon.

"Bulbasaur, he wants to end the battle, so let's hurry up and win!" Skylark shouted. "We can finish him! Use your Vine Whip one last time! We can win this!" Bulbasaur stared at Tyrogue, her eyes now tensed and consumed with competition. Bulbasaur was bent on winning, almost as much as Skylark. Her whips came out of her back as she prepared to attack.

"We got one shot, Tyrogue! Blaze Kick!" Tyrogue again posed and transferred all red to his leg, which then was engulfed in fiery flames. Tyrogue and Bulbasaur, both weary from the battle, ran forward. One more attack would do them in. It all came down to it: Who was going to hit first?

Bulbasaur jumped up, her whips behind her. Tyrogue jumped forward, his fire leg lifted high. They met in the middle. The crowd fell silent. No one cheered, nor did anyone make a noise. Now, Bulbasaur and Tyrogue were on the opposite side of each other, backs turned. Both were silent, their faces grim. Bulbasaur was burned heavily on her left side, showing a near-critical wound. The crowd looked at Tyrogue, who stood straight with his fiery leg still ablaze.

It was extinguished as Tyrogue fell to the ground, his face first, letting out a horrid sound of fainting. The red that once consumed his body disappeared as the power he once held left his body. Tyrogue had fainted.

Bulbasaur had won.

As they both flew into the air at each other, Tyrogue's leg had skimmed Bulbasaur's left side, which is what created that semi-critical burn wound on her side. However, Bulbasaur did it on purpose. She sacrificed her left side in order to win. She had put both her feet on his leg, causing her to lose HP, and pushed it down, preventing him from kicking. From that point, she let her whips fly forward and smash straight into Tyrogue's chest, causing a critical hit. But she continued whipping as well, sealing the fate of the battle once and for all.

Miller was silent. He looked down, his eyes shut.

Skylark could not believe his eyes. It was only half a year ago that he found Bulbasaur wandering in the woods, almost burnt to death. But here, Bulbasaur was willing to burn herself for Skylark. Skylark was moved. He couldn't breathe. The feeling overwhelmed him as Tyrogue was called back into his ball.

Skylark Declan won the Kanto Tournament with Bulbasaur.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I don't believe my eyes!" The announcer shouted. "Bulbasaur has defeated Tyrogue, who belonged to Champion Miller! Miller has been the champion for six years! But now, she has won! Skylark is now the new champion of the Kanto Tour—whoa, wait a minute…"

The crowd stopped cheering as silence fell over the crowd. Skylark, chocked up, looked up and began to notice something peculiar going on. Miller looked up as well and began to see something occur. Grace and Skylark's mom, who were in the stands, noticed something going on as well.

"What?...

….Bulbasaur is evolving!"

**_To be continued…_**


	25. The End

Chapter 25: The End

"What? Bulbasaur is evolving!" The announcer shouted loudly into the microphone. The crowd was dead silent as light surrounded the new champion.

"Bulbasaur…are you…really evolving?" Skylark whispered to himself. He was shocked that Bulbasaur was strong enough to evolve now. But, Skylark was hesitant. "_I've only known her as a Bulbasaur…should I really evolve her?"_ Skylark thought. He almost spoke, but soon the light was so bright that Skylark had to turn his face.

"Bulba…bulba…" Bulbasaur said. Skylark managed to keep looking after a minute, but the light only got brighter. Finally, it began to dim down. Skylark was able to get a look at the new figure that stood in front of him.

"Ivy…Ivysaur!" Ivysaur shouted happily. Skylark stood there, shocked. He stared at Bulbasaur, who was now Ivysaur. Ivysaur ran over, slightly limping due to the burn from the Blaze Kick early, and stood at Skylark's feet. Skylark was speechless. He looked up at the crowd and then the announcer, who were silent.

"Well…we've seen a magnificent site today." The announcer said. "He won the tournament, as well as evolved his famous Bulbasaur!" The crowd, acknowledging the announcer's comment, roared in cheer. Skylark continued to stare at Ivysaur, still shocked. The announcer walked over to Skylark and handed him a pre-paid Pokécard, which had the grand prize on it. The prize for winning is 25,000!

"Let's give another round of applause for Skylark and his Bulb—I mean, Ivysaur!" The announcer said. The crowd roared happily as Skylark walked off the stage, Ivysaur following behind.

A news reporter ran into Skylark in the hall, and Skylark was stopped. "He-hey! You're that Skyclark guy, right?"

"Well, uh, Skylark, yeah." Skylark replied.

"Well, I'm a reporter from Goldenrod City, and I've been assigned to interview the winner." He replied. "So, how does it feel it be the winner?" Skylark was still so shaken up about winning and Bulbasaur evolving, he didn't even know how to reply. But, when he thought about it, he was overwhelmed with a happiness that he's never had before.

"It feels really good." Skylark said. "We trained hard and I feel like we deserved to win." The news reporter was recording this with a hand-held HD camera, filming the answers to every question. Finally, after many questions, the reporter asked one final one.

"Now that you've won, what do you plan to do? Stay a trainer and defend your title?" He asked.

"Nope…" Skylark said. The reporter was slightly shocked, not expecting that answer. "I'm…I'm going to go defeat the Elite Four." The reporter was stunned.

"Wh-what?!"

"Yeah. I've been planning it for a long time now. I'm going to go compete in the regional gyms and go defeat the Elite Four, becoming the Champion in every region, if I can." Skylark replied. The reporter nodded, said a few more words and then shut off his camera.

"Well hey Skylark, my name is Ayden. I travel a lot and I go to all the regions to record the news." He said. He handed Skylark a card with his information. "Maybe I'll see you around!" And with that, Ayden left Skylark to be. It was around then that Skylark's mom and Grace ran into Skylark.

"Skylark!" Grace shouted as she quickly ran into Skylark, hugging him. "I just knew you would win!"

"I'm so proud of you, Skylark." His mom said. "Just like your father." They stood in the hallway for a while, hugging and exchanging praises. Finally, they left the hallway and made their way back to the hotel. There, they gathered together their belongings for the next day and went to dinner. After they went to dinner, they went back to the hotel, where they exchanged final goodbyes.

That night, Skylark went outside with Ivysaur and went back into the woods, walking around with each other. Finally, they came upon the certain training area that was a large clearing in the forest where Skylark had trained Bulbasaur to use Take Down. In that training area, there was a large rock on the side, surrounded by trees.

Skylark say down on the rock, with Ivysaur sitting right beside him. They sat there in silence for a moment before finally Skylark said something. "Ivysaur…" Skylark said. Ivysaur turned and looked at Skylark. "I didn't expect you to evolve so soon. But, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You've helped me reach my dreams, beat my rival, and so much more…" Skylark was quiet for a moment.

The rest of the night, Skylark talked to Ivysaur and thanked her endlessly. The bond formed between the two of them was now inseparable; Skylark wasn't used to her new evolution yet, but he wouldn't have changed anything.

Now was the next morning; this was the day that Skylark's journey would soon begin. Skylark, Ivysaur, Skylark's mom and Grace went to the edge of town and stood there, awaiting an important package that Skylark was waiting for. He hadn't told anyone what it was or why he ordered the package, but he was insistent on waiting.

Finally, a man ran down the street and ran into Skylark. "You Declan?"

"Yes sir." Skylark replied. He handed Skylark a package, and then Skylark gave him about 500 dollars. The man ran away, back up the street. Skylark began to rip open the package, allowing everyone to see what the package was holding.

It was the Pokéball that Skylark gave to the Market Lady when they first entered the town. The ball was stylized; it was now colored a beautiful green color and had in yellow writing "Bulbasaur". Skylark, his mom and Grace gawked at the ball, amazed at the beautiful art effects.

Ivysaur stared at the ball, instinctively knowing what was going on. She walked a little bit away and turned around, staring at Skylark. "Looks like she wants to be caught." Grace commented. Skylark smiled widely, nodding at Ivysaur. He threw the ball and it opened up, absorbing Ivysaur. It shook once…then twice…then a third time. Finally, it snapped. Ivysaur was now officially and legally Skylark's!

Skylark took the ball, sent Ivysaur out, and then put the ball in his backpack. Skylark turned around and hugged his mom one last time. Before he and Grace walked away, though, his mom stopped him. "Skylark…I want you to do me a favor." Skylark turned around and looked at her. "I want you to stop by Prof. Oak's lab in Pallet Town. He was a friend of your father's and, in fact, has a surprise for you when you get there!" She said. Skylark nodded, thanking his mom and then turning to look out into the wilderness.

With his backpack on his back, his new hat from Roger hanging on his neck, his bracelet from Celia on his wrist, and Ivysaur by his side, Skylark was ready to face the world. "Next time I see you mom…" Skylark said. "I'll be a Regional Champion." Skylark took his first step of his journey. Before he was out of reach, he turned around and let out one last triumphant shout.

**_"I'll become the next Pokémon Master!" _**

**The End.**

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and support, guys. It's been great and you've been a wonderful audience. It only seems like a little while ago that I started this story, and now it's over. It was so much fun, and thanks again so much! J **


	26. Did You Really Think I was Finished?

**Did you really think I was done?**

**Skylark takes his rightful place as leader on his journey to become the greatest master of them all, along with Ivysaur and Grace...**

**Skylark continues his journey on August 21st, 2013 in Konquering Kanto.**


End file.
